What You Wish For
by HiddenWhiteFang
Summary: **TIME SKIP** After an argument between Naruto and his son, Boruto decides he, Himawari and Sarada should run away, but not for long. Upon returning the next morning, however, they find themselves in an entirely new reality where they don't exist because their parents never got together. Now stuck in this new world, they must figure out how this happened and how to get home.
1. Be Careful

_Author's Note: This story turns the Narutoverse on its head, basically! It contains some pretty crack pairings and NOTHING IS CANON! Except everything in Boruto's timeline… That'll make sense as you read! Anyway, have fun with this one! Also, this doesn't mean I'm not writing Unbroken anymore, don't worry! I still like that story!_

 _Also, I refuse to use the fandom accepted OC NaruSaku child for the main reason that I know nothing about him and I wanted to design my own character. Deal with it!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own it!_

 _Chapter One: Be Careful_

There was nothing left. Naruto stared at the torn apart village blankly. "Sensei?" a boy beside whispered softly. "What happened?"

Naruto shook his head. He had no answers. Konoha had received an SOS signal from the small farming village and Naruto and his team had been deployed immediately. That had only been an hour or so ago. He had thought they would arrive to see a battle of sorts, or _anything…_ Instead they were greeted with a small village that looked as if a bomb had been set off in the center. The houses were torn to pieces, some with fires still burning in and around them. Bodies were tossed around the village like dolls in a child's room after a tantrum.

"Let's go," Naruto whispered to the three students beside him. The two females in is group stuck together, as was normal for them, and the boy moved individually, keeping his distance from his team, but also not venturing off too far. Naruto watched them with a hint of pride in his eyes. He had been their sensei for a year now.

He shook his head as they started through the streets of the village. Everyone Naruto checked was dead, but there was no sign of what killed them. Some of the bodies looked like that might have been attacked by an animal, but none of those wounds were fatal.

Naruto knelt in front of a certain body and looked it over. The arms were covered in scratches that were too jagged to come from a Kunai. This person had obviously tried to defend himself, but the way the body wasn't twisted in any way that suggested he had died fighting. Instead, he looked rather peaceful, other than the scratched on his arm. "That doesn't make any sense," Naruto whispered. This man had tried to put up a fight by the defensive wounds on his body… but he had died peacefully, or at least that's how it appeared.

Each body that Naruto stopped to examine showed the same pattern. The person seemed to have defended themselves in some way, some even died clinging to their weapons, but they all seemed to have died peacefully and calmly.

"Sensei!" the male student called. Naruto jumped. He had almost forgotten that the kids were there. He stood and ran to where the voice had come from.

"What is it, Ansei?" Naruto asked. The black and white haired child was kneeling in front of the body of a young girl.

"She's alive…" Ansei whispered, turning his pale violet eyes to his sensei.

Naruto's eyes widened and he hurried to the young girl. He knelt beside Ansei to get a closer look. She looked a little younger than the members of his team; about twelve. Her hair was the color of blood. Naruto gently placed his hand on her throat, feeling the soft pump of blood.

"Taya, Kairi, we're going!" Naruto called. The two girls appeared silently behind their sensei as Naruto lifted the child in his arms.

* * *

"The only survivor?" Kabuto asked. They were now in a small clinic. Naruto nodded slowly. "That doesn't make any sense. She _should_ be dead."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. The children were outside with the other children in the orphanage. It was also a good time for Ansei to visit his mother.

"She has no chakra."

"Impossible. Ansei himself saw her chakra signal."

"Well, it's gone now," Kabuto concluded. He stood, straightening out his black and white uniform silently. "Other than that, I don't see many wounds on her. Just a few on the arms. Have you sent a report to Obito-sama?" Naruto shook his head.

"The orphanage was closer than the village."

"Are you going back tonight?"

"No. I figured you and Ansei would want to spend some time together, after all." Kabuto nodded slowly and turned back to the red-haired girl with a mix of pity and understanding.

"And you saw no evidence of what caused this attack?"

"I didn't," Naruto answered. "It all seemed so surreal… Like nothing made sense."

Kabuto smiled sadly at the girl. "We'll figure this out, but you should make your report, Naruto-san. I will take care of her."

"Thank you, Kabuto."

The door behind them opened and in stepped another Hyuuga. Her dark hair fell almost to her ankles. She bowed deeply at the two men. "Good evening, Naruto-san," she greeted.

"Hinata," Naruto greeted with an equal bow.

"How is the girl?"

"She should be fine," Kabuto reported. "None of the wounds are fatal. I will give you updates," he promised the orange-clad sensei.

"Thank you," Naruto said with another bow as he left the room.

Kabuto sat down beside the bed again. Hinata came up to him. She wore the same uniform as he did. "How is Ansei doing?" Kabuto asked.

"Good," Hinata said warmly. "As are the other two children. They told me about the village this child was found it. It's terrible."

Kabuto nodded. He knew how the girl would feel when she woke up to find that she was the sole survivor of some battle or attack. "We'll do what we can for her, and then perhaps she can go to the Leaf Village," Kabuto assured the woman. "But, if not, she will always have a home here."

* * *

The village look entirely different from the one that Boruto called home. His wide, pale blue eyes stared blankly at the village before him. Instead of the village that had been built in the crater created by Pain's attack, he was staring at a village that seemed untouched by such a disaster. The Hokage monument still held his grandfather and the Senju brothers, but it didn't hold Kakashi, Tsunade or Naruto. Instead, it held a face that Boruto didn't recognize.

"Sarada…?" Boruto whispered nervously.

"I see it," the girl beside him said quietly. He felt Himawari's hand tighten around his. Boruto offered his sister a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Hima-chan," he said, trying to sound positive. "We just gotta find mom or dad and figure out what's going on!" But what _was_ going on? It had been Boruto's idea to run away from the village, but they had only been gone a single night. It wasn't enough time for the entire layout of the village to change. "Genjutsu?" Boruto asked.

Sarada shook her head. "No," she muttered. "This isn't a genjutsu."

Boruto sighed. "Boruto… I want to go home!" Himawari whimpered softly.

"It's okay!" Boruto said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, Hima-chan."

"Yeah!" Sarada said, smiling as well. "Let's go find our parents!" Boruto nodded. He reached down and picked up Himawari, holding her tightly.

"Let's go!" Boruto and Sarada nodded at each other and started into the unfamiliar village.

As the small trio moved through the village, Boruto became more and more lost and he held onto his sister tighter, making sure that Sarada was close by at all times. This didn't make any sense. Even the buildings were older. Almost every building in his version of Konoha was less than twenty years old, but here he was staring at buildings that actually had enough time to get some wear on them. "Where are we going…?" Sarada asked finally.

Boruto stopped walking with that realization. He had _no_ idea where they were going. Obviously Naruto wasn't Hokage anymore, so making their way to the Hokage mansion would mean nothing, but they had no idea where else to look. "We should start with the Hokage," Boruto concluded after a moment of silence. "If anything, he'll know where to find my dad…" Surely they wouldn't let the Jinchuuriki of the Leaf Village out of their sight.

"That's a good idea," Sarada muttered. The two started again, turning a corner only to be slammed into by another boy. Himawari yelped softly and Boruto looked down at the child on that had fallen to the ground. He was Boruto's age with long, hot pink hair with red highlights. His bright blue eyes stared up at the people who he had run in to. "S-sorry!" the boy said as he scrambled to stand. Boruto looked the child over as he tried to wipe off the dust his salmon colored yukata. He looked at the dark crimson obi and groaned softly. It was dirty.

"Hello," Boruto greeted cautiously. The boy bowed.

"If you'll excuse me…" He tried to push past them, but was stopped by Sarada.

"Hey, do you think you could help us?" she asked.

The boy looked at the three, pondering the question. In the following silence, he turned to look back frequently and he shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "We need to find Naruto," Boruto added. That grabbed the child's attention completely.

"What do you need him for?" he asked with a guarded tone.

"Well, you see…"

Sarada held up her hand, cutting him off. "We need to speak with him."

"Y-yeah… I'll take you to him," the boy said. "Let's go! We need to hurry!" Before they could leave, however, another trio of children rounded the corner.

"There you are, Taiyaki! Thought you could run off, did you?"

The pinkette yipped softly and turned his back to the ground to face the new group. Boruto tried to see if he could recognize any of the children in the cell in front of him, but he didn't. One looked like he could be part of the Nara clan. He had on a simple dark green button-up shirt that was lazily tucked into his brown capris. He also had the Nara symbol on his shoulder, but even with that detail, Boruto wasn't sure. He had never seen a blonde Nara before. The one on the left looked like he could be from the Aburame clan, except he was more than willing to show off the skin that Uncle Shino was usually so eager to hide and he had two grey triangular markings like Uncle Kiba did.

The leader of the group, the one that had spoken, was definitely a Hyuuga. The girl had long, dark hair. Her outfit looked like those of a shrine maiden, except the bottoms were black and tope was a cream color. Her pale violet eyes glared down at the pink-haired boy.

"What do you want, Ansho?" the boy, Taiyaki, it seemed, grumbled.

"Just wanted to see why you think you can just get away from us without saying "good-bye," is all," the Hyuuga snapped.

"A-about that… You see, I gotta take these three to see my dad…"

"Dad?" Boruto asked. "We don't need to see your dad! We need to see _my_ dad!"

"B-but… You said you needed to see Naruto," Taiyaki whispered.

Boruto opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the Hyuuga. "While this is all fascinating, Taiyaki, you haven't paid your dues yet. Didn't you want a rematch?"

"He has had enough, Ansho," the Aburame grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I'll tell you when he's had enough!" she snapped.

"Seriously, though," the Nara-looking one grumbled. "This is troublesome, Ansho. You keep messing with that kid and someone'll come after you, especially his parents."

"As if they'd touch me," she retorted. "They wouldn't dare! I am part of the esteem Hyuuga Clan!"

The Aburame chuckled slightly. "Yeah. The lower branch is so revered…" he grumbled with a smug grin.

"Why you…!"

"Hey!" Boruto shouted. "What is going on here?! Who are any of you?"

Ansho shook her head slowly. "Name's Ansho, brat," she snapped. "This here is Nara Senbei, and that moron is Aburame-Inuzuka Nomi. Oh, and that waste of life before you is Taiyaki."

The pinkette narrowed his eyes at the girl. "As for what's going on… I'm not sure. You said you needed Naruto, right?" Boruto nodded. "Well… Then I can take you to him." Boruto blinked and took a step back, stumbling with all this new information. Himawari whimpered softly and he stroked her back gently. "You… don't look so good," Taiyaki noted. "Ansho, I'll fight you later if you want, but I want to take care of these three."

The Hyuuga narrowed her eyes, but she seemed to notice that this was a serious matter. "Fine, fine, you little brat."

Taiyaki sighed deeply as the group turned and left. Nomi offered the pinkette a sympathetic smile before following after the other two. "Yeesh, what's her problem?" Sarada asked quietly.

Taiyaki shrugged. "She's in a perpetual bad mood, but she just doesn't like me, I guess."

"Why not?"

"There's a lot of reasons," Taiyaki grumbled. "And I don't really want to go into them right now if that's okay. Come on… let's get you to Naruto." Boruto nodded and followed after the child. He looked around them as they walked through. It seemed like he was walking through a distorted dream. Everything looked like it should be familiar, but he wasn't sure where he had seen it. "So… Why do you want to see my dad?"

That sent a shiver down Boruto's back. Was Naruto not their father here…? "We think he might be able to help us," Boruto answered carefully.

"Are you sure you don't want to see the Hokage?" Taiyaki asked.

"No, Naruto will probably be better."

"Okay… but he might not be home from his mission. Mom probably is home, though." Boruto nodded his thanks and stole a look at Sarada. She shook her head slowly. To Boruto, she looked just as lost and confused as he felt. Himawari was holding on to her brother for dear life, shaking slightly in his arms. He tried to calm her down by rubbing her back, but nothing seemed to be working.

The group of four fell into an awkward silence. Boruto didn't like it. Taiyaki seemed like a good kid, for the most part, but he wasn't sure he trusted anyone in this strange world. Stories of what Tobi had tried to do to their world made him weary. This all seemed a little too perfect.

Finally the group stopped at a small, single family home. It was quaint, with a small porch and a beautiful garden in front of it. "Mom! I'm home! Is dad?" Taiyaki called when they walked inside.

Boruto's heart dropped when the woman appeared in the entrance. "Tai-kun!" Sakura gasped. "Why are you home so early, young man?" She moved over to the child and squatted down in front of him. He turned away from his mother. "Shoes off," she teased, kissing him on the cheek. It was then that she noticed the three unfamiliar children standing on the stone floor. "Taiyaki, who are your friends."

"Name's Boruto, and this is my sister, Himawari," Boruto introduced, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"M-mom…?" Sarada whimpered softly. Sakura blinked and turned to the girl.

"This is Uchiha Sarada!" Boruto introduced quickly.

"Taiyaki… Who are these children?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. They wanted to talk to dad."

Sakura turned her attention to Sarada. Boruto looked at her carefully. She didn't look any different than he remembered her. _So, dad married Sarada's mom in this twisted dream?_ He concluded.

"Sweetie, why did you call me mom?" Sakura asked gently. She rested her hand on Sarada's shoulder. Boruto flinched when Sarada pulled back almost violently.

"Don't touch me!" Sarada snapped. Boruto wanted to reach out to her. She was usually the more level-headed of the two, though not nearly as level-headed as Mitsuki. To see her breaking down almost made him want to follow her.

"Sarada-chan," Boruto whispered. The Uchiha shook her head.

"This is insane!" She spun around to leave, only to find herself face to face with the former Hokage himself.

Boruto bit his lip as he turned around to face his father. "Daddy!" Himawari called, wiggling out of Boruto's grip and running to the man. Boruto looked up at him with a hint of sadness and confusion. Like Sakura, he didn't look different. His hair was longer, more like Minato's, and instead of the orange coat, he wore the normal jounin flak jacket with a bright orange undershirt instead of the standard navy blue.

Naruto looked down at the child clinging to his leg with confusion in his eyes. "Daddy?" Sakura repeated. Naruto blushed slightly and shrugged.

"I-I'm sorry!" Boruto gasped suddenly. He grabbed his sister away from the imposter. "We have to go!" He grabbed Sarada's arm and pushed past Naruto to get back outside.

"Hey, kids! Wait!" Naruto called, but Boruto didn't stop running. He wanted to cry. Sarada was already crying and Himawari too was sobbing quietly into his shoulder. "Wait up!" Naruto called again. Boruto turned to see that both he and Sakura were following them.

"Should we stop?" Boruto asked Sarada. She shrugged, leaving Boruto to make the choice. After a few more moments of running, he stopped. Sarada continued for a few more meters before she too stopped. Boruto set his sister down so she could go to Sarada while Boruto grabbed a kunai from his pouch.

Naruto stopped instantly and held his hands up to show that he wasn't armed. Sakura stopped a little way behind Naruto to give them all some space. "It's okay," Naruto said gently. "No one is going to hurt you." Boruto narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the weapon. "It's okay," Naruto repeated, even calmer than before. "Just tell me what's wrong." Boruto took a step back. How could they explain this to Naruto or Sakura? And where was Sasuke? None of this made sense.

"Let us go."

"To where?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Boruto admitted.

"Well," Naruto said slowly. "Why don't you three come back with us and we can decide together what to do, okay?" Boruto took another step back. Naruto also took a step back, trying to give the frightened children some space. "Come on."

Boruto shook his head. This wasn't his father; at least not anymore. Even if it was in their reality, he still wouldn't be running to his dad's arms. Naruto had proven time and time again that his job as Hokage was more important to him than his family. Boruto raised his hand and a moment later he heard footsteps running away from them. Naruto didn't react, but Sakura did as the two females of their group took off running. Boruto took a few more steps back.

"You don't have to run," Naruto whispered. "We want to help you."

Boruto took the knife in his hand and hurled it at Naruto before taking off after Sarada and his sister. He didn't even wait to see if his attack hit. Luckily, it seemed that Naruto either didn't have the speed he had in their world or he just wasn't taking this chase seriously because it wasn't long before the trio lost him.

They kept running through the streets of the village, staring up at unfamiliar faces and getting weird looks from the villagers as they did so. Eventually, they stopped in an old, abandoned building. It was getting dark as clouds rolled in, threatening a storm. Boruto took Himawari from Sarada and went about settling her down. They stayed silent as the storm outside began and the day wore on.

"What are we going to do…? Boruto asked finally. It was nearing night time. Sarada jumped, startled after so long in silence.

"I… Don't know," she whispered after a moment. "Your dad and my mom… and they have a son?" Boruto nodded. Taiyaki was, for all purposes, their half-brother.

"I don't know either," Boruto said. "Maybe if we can find your dad or my mom."

"You don't think _they_ are together, do you?"

Boruto blinked. That thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Who was his mother with if she wasn't with Naruto? He had heard story after story about how Naruto was his mother's only choice in life. How was she in this world where Naruto didn't pick her? Did she move on? "I doubt it," he said finally.

"Me too," Sarada agreed. "Are we staying here tonight, then?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow we should try to talk to the Hokage."

"And tell him what, Boruto?" Sarada snapped. "Are we just going to walk in there and say 'hello, Hokage-sama, we're from an alternate reality where we're the children of Naruto and Hinata and Sasuke and Sakura? Oh, and, by the way, the village we're from was destroyed and then rebuilt!' We'd be thrown into some sort of insane asylum!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"We have to make up a story and stick with it. Then we need to gather information. Dad can enter through dimensions, so maybe we can find him and see if he can tell us anything."

Boruto nodded. "Sounds good to me. But first, we need a story."

* * *

"Naruto… Tai's in bed. Are you coming?" Sakura said quietly. The blonde shook his head. Those kids had looked terrified, especially the blonde. "You're worried about them, aren't you?"

Naruto nodded. "I already called Obito-sama about them." He clenched his fists.

Sakura rested her hands on Naruto's shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you, but they looked to be in good health."

"The attack was only a few days ago," Naruto muttered. "They could very well be from that farming village. They had no headbands."

"The girl was introduced as an Uchiha," Sakura pointed out.

"The little one called me daddy," Naruto continued as if he didn't hear Sakura. He had felt a connection to those children. "You don't feel like you've met them before?" Sakura shook her head.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Naruto,"

Naruto shook his head. He turned and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to go look for them. If I'm not back by morning, I probably went to stay at my dad's house. Tell Tai that I'll see him later, okay?"

Sakura frowned slightly. "Alright, alright. Maybe you should call Hinata-san," she suggested. "They will need a place to stay, after all." Naruto nodded. The orphanage would be good for the children. He had been there earlier that week after dropping off that girl from the village. _Maybe they_ are _from that village,_ Naruto thought. While the children didn't look like they were in terrible condition, it was possible that they had been from the village, but hadn't been in the village at the time of the attack. It was too much of a coincidence that these three children appeared in the village shortly after an entire village was murdered in a matter of minutes.

 _Whatever the reason and whoever they are, those kid need help…_ Naruto thought with a determined nod.

 _Author's note: This reality takes two things into consideration. 1. Madara died and 2. Obito DIDN'T "die"! Also, Kabuto never left the orphanage either._

 _Also, if you care, here's a list of what the names mean:_

" _Ansho" means "a dark place" which is a reversal of Hinata's name._

 _Taiyaki is a type of pastry in Japan that is shaped like a fish and is usually stuffed. Orange and pink make a salmon color, plus Naruto means fish cake and cherry blossom is a type of stuffing for snacks._

 _Nomi means flea, since he's an Aburame and Inuzuka._

 _Shika-Senbei are deer crackers that you buy in Nara Park to feed the deer._

 _Ansei means "tranquil government."_

 _Kairi means "ocean village" and Taya means "valley field."_


	2. Obito-sama

_Author's note: Wow… It seems people are liking this one a lot… Cool!_

 _Chapter Two: Obito-sama_

"Three kids, huh?" Minto asked as he poured a cup of tea for his son. Naruto smiled. "You didn't find them, I'm guessing."

"No," Naruto grumbled, stirring his cup slowly. "I looked everywhere."

Minato smiled. "Well, not everywhere," he teased, seating himself across the small table. Naruto frowned in a very child-like pout. "Oh, stop it." The frown on Naruto's face turned into a soft smile. "I'm sure they're fine, Naruto. We'll talk to Obito in the morning. How's Tai?" he asked, trying to keep his son's mind from wandering.

Naruto's frown returned, without the pout. "Still being bullied," he admitted. "I'll have to talk to Neji again about Ansho. Apparently she's been fighting Tai a lot."

"Maybe you should let Konohamaru handle it," Minato suggested.

Naruto shook his head and sipped the cup of tea. "I don't think so. Konohamaru is a great sensei, but I'd rather be the one to talk to Neji… Or Lady Hanabi."

"I wouldn't go to the Hyuuga Elders or the head branch about this… You know how they can get, especially with lower branch members."

"Yeah," Naruto grumbled. "Mind if I stay here tonight?"

"You know you don't have to ask," Minato said. "But why don't you go home? It's not late." Naruto sighed and turned away. Minato's gaze softened. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Naruto lied. Minato could always tell when his son was lying to him.

"You and Sakura get in an argument?"

"N-no! It's nothing like that!" Naruto quickly assured his father. "It's just… I don't know how to talk to her about what happened at that village. My students are still shaken up about it." He closed his eyes. "And it's also about those kids. That little girl… She called me dad."

Minato lifted an eyebrow. "Well, do you have any children I need to know about?" he asked. Naruto felt like throwing the cup of tea at his father's head. "Naruto-kun, something is wrong. If it's not Sakura, and it's not Tai, then what is it?"

"This is the fourth attack on a civilian village in the past six months," Naruto said quietly. "Obito-sama has my team investigating them all. This was the first one where there were no survivors except for one. We all thought this one would match this pattern, but it didn't. Whatever attacked this village… it wasn't human; at least I don't think it was. The attacks were animalistic."

"Jinchuuriki?" Minato suggested. Naruto shook his head.

"We know where all the Jinchuuriki are. No one has reported any of them missing. I spoke to Kabuto this morning. The girl still hasn't woken up, but she also isn't regaining any chakra. Hinata-san can't even find a signal on her anymore." Naruto clenched his fists. "And now I have to travel to the Mist village and talk to their Kage. Apparently they've been having a similar pattern."

"Oh… How long will you and your team be gone?" Minato asked, finally understanding. Even if his son wasn't Hokage, he was still one of Obito's advisors, having grown up around the position of Hokage his entire life. It was the obvious choice. The job was demanding, and was becoming increasingly more so as the world fell deeper into chaos. Naruto had, in recent years, been away from the village more than he had actually been in the village.

"A month, maybe more," Naruto grumbled. Minato's shoulders dropped.

"Maybe you can take Tai and Sakura with you, hm?"

Naruto smiled softly. "Probably not a good idea. Sakura has to stay here. She has classes to teach, and Tai's never been out of the village that long. Besides, he might not be so eager to be stuck with Ansho's cousin."

"I would imagine Hinata's son would be nicer than Neji's daughter."

"You would think," Naruto grumbled. Ansei was a mystery. Even Naruto, who had been the child's sensei for a year, had yet to get the boy to open up to him. While he was usually calm and quiet, Naruto knew there was a sleeping dragon in that child, waiting to be released. The only reason he was here and not living at the orphanage with his parents was because he was still a member of the main branch, and with Hanabi's own son sickly and weak, Ansei was chosen to be the younger boy's official bodyguard and advisor. He had been torn from his parents and his home at a very young age to begin his training with the Hyuuga clan.

He had been given to Naruto as a genin to assist in his fighting skills. The Guard of the Head of the Hyuuga Clan had to be able to defend himself, after all.

Minato offered his son a reassuring smile. "Sakura will understand, Naruto. She always does."

Naruto sighed. "I know. I just wish the world would give me five minutes to be a dad for once." Minato reached his hand out, but Naruto rejected the touch. Minato remembered having the same feelings when he was Hokage and didn't have all the time he wanted to play or train with Naruto. "I'm going to bed."

"Good night, then." Minato whispered as he watched his son move out of the kitchen. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You were always better with him than I was," he prayed. "Watch over him, Kushina-chan…"

* * *

Sarada wanted to go home, but she didn't say as much as she followed Boruto through the streets of the village. Himawari gripped the Uchiha's hand tightly and Sarada made sure the little girl wasn't scared. They had gone over the plan many times the night before and even more times that morning. They would speak to the Hokage, they would tell him their story, and then they would request information on Sasuke. From there, they would hopefully get home.

They stopped in front of the Hokage mansion. Boruto sighed. It looked nothing like the home that they were used to. "It'll be okay," she said quietly to the two Uzumaki children.

"I know," Boruto said. She sighed. It was typical of her teammate to not show any sort of weakness, even though she knew he was just as terrified as Himawari was. The encounter with Naruto yesterday hadn't gone as well as they would have liked, and even though Boruto would never admit it, Sarada had seen how shaken up he had been.

"Hey, you kids!" Sarada jumped and turned around. A young man stood behind them. "Can I help you?" he asked. He had dark grey hair, styled to look a lot like Kakashi's. He did look a lot like Kakashi. The man sighed and removed his dog ANBU mask. "You need to talk to the Hokage?"

"Y-yeah!" Sarada said with a quick nod.

"Well, I'll take you to him. Come on." He pushed passed the three kids. "Who are you three anyway? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Boruto, and this is my sister, Himawari," Boruto introduced.

"Boruto? That's an odd name," the man said with a shrug.

"Why you…!"

"My name's Sarada!" Sarada interjected quickly.

"Name's Meigetsu," the man greeted. He turned and grinned at them. Sarada turned away shyly. He wasn't bad looking at all.

"Meigetsu! Who are your friends?" The grey-haired boy jumped as Kakashi himself rounded the corner. Sarada blinked. The man didn't look as worn and tired here; like his life had been easier somehow.

"Dunno, dad. I found them outside."

"You _found_ them?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. They seemed lost… Said they wanted to talk to Obito-sama."

"Obito…?" Boruto repeated. Sarada's fist clenched. She had heard the stories of what Obito had done in their world. While Naruto had always tried to talk about him like he was some great hero or something. Sakura made sure to tell Sarada that Naruto liked to see things as idealistically as possible. Obito may had been misguided, but he still almost brought about the end of the world.

"What's _he_ doing as Hokage?" Sarada snapped before she could stop herself. Both Kakashi and his son turned to look at the girl, confused.

"Hm?"

"You know him?" Meigetsu asked.

Sarada felt heat ride to her cheeks and she turned away quickly to hide the blush.

"Don't listen to her! She's crazy," Boruto tried to defend quickly. Kakashi turned to the blonde kid with a skeptical look.

"Who are you three?" he asked.

"Just some orphans," Sarada said, trying to patch up the situation. The four ninja glared at each other. Sarada could feel the tension she had caused. Her eyes watched as Boruto reached for his weapon's pouch. She opened her mouth to stop him, but was cut off.

"I want to go home!" Himawari shrieked suddenly, making everyone in the hallway jump. Boruto turned to his sister. She was crying softly. Sympathy took over Sarada's fear. The poor child had less of a clue as to what was happening that she and Boruto did. "I want mommy and daddy!"

 _That'll help us,_ Sarada thought, though she felt bad about it. She had already said they were orphans, now one of them was crying for her parents. Boruto hugged his sister tightly and lifted her up in his arms. He rubbed her back slowly to calm her down. "We can't go home right now, Hima-chan," he whispered.

"Dad, I think they're just scared." Meigetsu assured his father. Kakashi shook his head.

"You're right. Come on, you three, let's get you to the Hokage." Boruto nodded, letting Sarada take the lead. He followed behind them, whispering calming words to his sister. Sarada clenched her fists. She felt so useless in this situation. How could they hope to get home? _But, if Obito is Hokage,_ she thought, _does that mean the Uchiha are alive…?_

As they neared the office, the door opened up revealing a young woman with long dark brown hair. She too wore an ANBU uniform. Her smile faded the moment her dark eyes landed on Meigetsu and Kakashi. "H-hello, Kakashi-san, Meigetsu-kun," she stammered shyly.

"Tobimasu," Meigetsu greeted. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't exactly familiar.

"Good morning, Tobi-chan," Kakashi said with a wide smile. "How are you?"

"G-good, Kakashi-san!" the woman answered. "If you'll excuse me…!" She ducked between the two grey-haired men and practically darted down the hall.

Kakashi sighed and looked at his son. "What?" Meigetsu asked.

"Nothing, nothing. You wouldn't get it anyway, you dense fool."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"If I have to explain it to you son, you will never get it," Kakashi teased.

Meigetsu glared playfully at his father, but the conversation ended there. Kakashi opened the door to the office. "Hello, Obito- _sama,_ " he said with the most over the top bow he could muster.

The man sitting behind the Hokage desk looked at Kakashi with a mix of pure annoyance and utter endearment. The dark haired man pulled his hat over his face to hide what was obviously a chuckle at his friend's antics. "Lord Hokage," Meigetsu greeted with a real bow.

"Hello, Mei." Obito returned the greeting with a nod, but still hid his face.

"So, what's Tobi doing visiting her daddy?" Kakashi asked. Obito lifted his hat to reveal one eye to glare at Kakashi.

"She brought me my lunch," he grumbled.

Kakashi smirked. "Aw, little Uchiha forgot his lunch," he teased.

"I oughda have you arrested," Obito grumbled.

"You wouldn't do that to me."

Sarada coughed slightly to alert them of their presence. Obito became almost instantly serious once he finally noticed the three strangers in his office. "I see you brought guests, Kakashi." Sarada was surprised how quickly the man switched personalities.

"Actually, Mei found them," Kakashi admitted. "I just decided to come up with them."

Meigetsu nodded. "I found them outside," he explained. "They said they wanted to speak with you."

Boruto and Sarada looked at each other. They had agreed that she would do all the talking. She was better at lying than he was, after all.

She stepped forward and bowed to the Hokage. "Hello, Lord Hokage," she said quietly. "We three are orphans. When we returned to our village, everyone was dead." She allowed her voice to quiver. It wasn't hard. The experience she was describing wasn't unlike their actual situation. "My name is Sarada, he is Boruto and the little girl is Himawari. We… we request an audience with Uchiha Sasuke."

The entire room suddenly became deathly silent. Even the two proctors that were discussing something in the corner froze at the name. Sarada felt her hands becoming clammy. She resisted the urge to look at Boruto. What had she said wrong? Was Sasuke not alive? Was he not in the village?

Obito seemed very serious when he spoke his next words, slowly and carefully he asked "How do you know that name?"

Sarada clenched her fists and swallowed.

"We heard it!" Boruto said quickly. "We heard he might be able to help us."

Obito surveyed the three children carefully. "Uchiha Sasuke has not stepped foot in this village in over twenty years," he said. Sarada felt a pain in her chest. Even here, her dad wasn't in the village. She tried to get rid of the lump in her throat. Boruto seemed to catch her inability to speak.

"Do you know where we can find him?" he asked.

"I do not," Obito admitted. "Sasuke left the village and hasn't been seen since. Why do you need his help?"

Sarada turned to Boruto. How would they explain this? "Sarada is an Uchiha," Boruto explained without skipping a beat. "Sasuke's name was mentioned to us and we were told he could help train her. They said the last time they heard of Sasuke, he was here. I guess the information is old." He added with a nervous chuckle.

Obito sighed deeply and stood, walking to the children. Sarada resisted the urge to run. What would the unstable Hokage do to them? "You three are orphans?" he asked.

"Yessir," Boruto whispered. Sarada wanted to hug him for taking over. Obito rubbed the bridge of his nose. He seemed ready to speak, but stopped when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called. Sarada turned to see Naruto step into the office.

"Oh! It's you three!" Naruto exclaimed. It was now Boruto's turn to be stunned into silence. Himawari whimpered longingly for her father, but Boruto was quick to silence her.

"You know these kids?" Obito asked.

"They're the ones I told you about last night." Naruto smiled and squatted down to get at their level. "Are you three okay?" he asked.

"We are," Sarada said. Himawari wiggled out of her brother's arms and ran to Naruto, who accepted her embrace with a soft smile. Sarada's gaze softened at the sight. Even if they weren't his kids in this twisted reality, he was still the kind-hearted man he had been in their world.

"Well, Naruto, what is it, then?" Obito asked.

"I was just saying that we are going to leave in the morning," Naruto reported.

"Oh? Well, if that's the case, do you think you can accompany these children to the orphanage?" Obito asked.

"What?" Sarada, Boruto and Naruto all said in unison.

"We will do what we can to find Sasuke for you three, if that is who you truly believe will help you," Obito explained, "but that will not be a simple, or a short process. It is best that you have a place to stay until then. I'm sure Naruto won't mind traveling with you to the orphanage… _right,_ Naruto?" Obito added with a slight glare that sent a shiver down Sarada's spine. This man had a personality for any occasion, it seemed.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sure, Lord Hokage. I will gladly bring these children to the orphanage." He said, almost nervously.

"Good!" Obito said, smiling widely.

 _How many masks does he have?_ Sarada wondered.

"So, you are leaving in the morning, then?" Obito asked. Naruto nodded. "Then these three can remain here until you leave."

"Of course," Naruto said. He placed the girl in his arms on the ground. She frowned and looked at her brother. Boruto merely shrugged at their youngest.

"See you tomorrow," Himawari said, almost sadly.

Naruto nodded. "Meigetsu, can you take them to the guest rooms?" Obito asked. The young grey-haired man nodded and ushered the three children towards the door.

"Actually, Obito-sama, I have another request as well…" Naruto started as the door shut behind the group.

* * *

Kabuto never liked being away from his orphanage for long, so even the short journey to the desolate village that had been attacked was hard for the Father. He trusted Hinata to take care of things while he was gone, and his brother was more than capable of running the place, since he had been there longer, after all, but Kabuto still liked to be there. Hinata may have learned medical jutsu from him, but he still saw himself as superior to her skills. He had two ANBU with him as he stared down at the village from the hill that over looked it. It was a depressing sight. Other ANBU teams were combing the wreckage for any evidence that might have been left by the attackers.

"Is there a reason we couldn't do this over phone?" Kabuto asked the ANBU chief as he ran up the hill to greet the black and white clad medic and his two escorts.

The chief bowed to the medic. Even if, technically, the ANBU leader held a higher rank in the Land of Fire than Kabuto did, there was a certain respect held for the medic and what he had done with the run down and small orphanage. "My deepest apologies, but my team and I have discovered something disturbing about this attack."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow and looked behind the man to the rows of bodies behind him. "Something more disturbing than an entire village of people dying in a matter of minutes?" Kabuto asked.

"Yessir!" the chief said. "There are no child victims here!"

Kabuto's eyes widened. He pushed passed the man. "Impossible! This village… It was thriving last time I checked! They had children living here!"

"There is evidence that there were children living in the village, Kabuto-san, but none of the victims in the village seem to be under the age of fifteen."

Kabuto clenched his fists. That was impossible, unless the kids were taken. "I have to return to the orphanage!" he gasped.

"Not yet. That isn't the only bit of news, or we could have done this over the phone. We need you to examine a body."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose and nodded. "Fine," he grumbled. He followed the man silently. A single body was a distance away from the other bodies. "What's so special about this one?" Kabuto asked. The man lifted the sheet from the now naked body of a woman. At first, Kabuto saw nothing. It was simply a dead body. He saw nothing special about it.

But then it hit him. There was nothing special about this one. Naruto had mentioned a pattern in the bodies. They all had defensive wounds on them, but none fatal. The girl who they had brought in also followed that pattern, but this woman… she had no marks on her at all. Kabuto knelt beside the body and blinked. Unlike other bodies that had been dead for days and without preservation, this one had not begun to decay. In fact, she didn't even look dead.

He examined the body slowly, looking for anything that showed how she died, but found no sign. He pulled out his medical kit from his pack and began an autopsy on the woman, but again found nothing that told him how she died. He shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense," he whispered. "She should be alive. There's no poison in her system and there are no telling wounds on her. Is this the only one like this?" he asked. The chief nodded slowly. Kabuto clenched his fists. "I will need to do a thorough examination. I want this body to come back with me, along with a few others that are in good enough shape. The youngest ones you can find!"

Kabuto looked at the sky. Why weren't they any child victims in the attack? He thought about the other civilian attacks that Naruto had told him. Surely he would remember if those attacks had left no child victims. Naruto would be sure to inform him of that.

And then there was the girl. Why had she been left there? Was she somehow important to all this? Kabuto shook his head and started back for his home. He had to figure this out and he wasn't about to let anything stump him. The attackers must have taken the children, but why not the girl? The other attacks had left no one alive. Why was she suddenly left alive? Why was any of this happening? Why would someone be so interested in attacking civilian villages? It wasn't even strategic. While this one had been a farming village, it wasn't anywhere near the most important to the Land of Fire. It only really provided crops for itself and a few exports to help their small economy. The other villages were the same. A fishing village, a farming village… Why were they killing civilians that wouldn't strategically weaken the Land of Fire?

All these thoughts and more ran through the man's mind as he raced back to his home. The bodies would be delivered later where he could get a better look at them. None of this made any sense. _The children have to be somewhere,_ Kabuto thought, and then he stopped as a realization hit him. For a moment, he was frozen, staring blankly ahead. They were harvesting the kids! That was the only logical explanation! The other attacks didn't leave everyone dead, and some were missing, sure, so it didn't rouse as much suspicion, but now, the whole village was dead _except_ the children!

"And the girl," Kabuto said aloud. "But… why…?"

The answer to that question came like a ton of bricks in the pit of his stomach. Whoever _they_ were, they wanted to know where the Land of Fire would take her. The existence of the orphanage was no secret, but the location of it was. Many of the kids they housed had sensitive information. Most were the children of assassination targets and some were even the targets themselves. Only people who needed to know the location of the orphanage knew the location. Kabuto took off at high speeds towards the complex.

"We have to evacuate immediately!" he thought out loud as he ran faster. "And we can't take any more in until we get to the bottom of this!"

 _Author's note: So, you guys might be wondering why Sakura is a teacher… Let's just say that she had no drive to become a medical ninja because she didn't need to save Sasuke… Plus, Tsunade never came to the village either, so she's basically what Iruka was in the series; an instructor who also does odd jobs around the village._

 _Names: Meigetsu mean Harvest Moon_

 _Tobimasu means "to fly"_


	3. The Cage

_Chapter Three: The Cage_

"Get up!" Ansei groaned, but before he could open his eyes, a foot impacted his side. "I said get up!" the voice snapped again.

"Yeah, yeah," the boy grumbled, rolling off his pallet on the ground. He yawned and looked up at the stern face of his grandfather. "What time is it?"

"Three thirty," the old man snapped. "You're late."

"I have a mission," Ansei protested as he scrambled out of his night clothes and replaced them with his training garb.

"That's exactly why you are getting up this early. You need to train,"

Ansei ran his hand down his long white and black hair, all the while glaring at his grandfather. He turned to his mirror and sighed before placing a bandage over the green curse mark on his forehead. "Let's go, then," he snapped. He tried to push past the elderly man, but was grabbed. He winced as the pressure threatened to break his arm.

"Know your place, boy," he snapped. Ansei ripped his arm out of Hiashi's grip. The two glared at each other, Byakugan locked with Byakugan. After a moment, the elder tore his gaze away from the teenager. Ansei smirked and turned away from his grandfather.

"I know my place," Ansei answered with a smirk. "You might do well to learn yours." He didn't even expect the curse mark to be used, even though the old man could use it whenever he wanted. The boy scoffed and headed for the yard where his trainer would be waiting for him. He was too important to injure, even if he was treated like a slave in their family. He could get away with mouthing off to them because they couldn't kill him. They needed him far more than he needed them. The mark was merely a formality. It had scared him once. Now, he bore it proudly, as a symbol of how weak they truly were.

They couldn't cage a phoenix.

Ansei stepped into the training field to face his uncle. "Hello, father," he said with a slight smirk.

"You don't have to call me that here," the man muttered.

"I don't _have_ to call you that anywhere," Ansei pointed out. The older Hyuuga sighed deeply.

"I suppose you're right. Let's go, then." The two lunged for each other.

Ansei was fierce in everything he did. Hyuuga were known for their elegant fighting style and their control. Watching them was almost like watching dancers. The beauty of Ansei's attacks were not only the light-footed, dance-like movements, but also the power they concealed in them. A tap from that boy could send a grown man flying back several meters. Ansei was a prodigy in the purest sense of the word, surpassing even Neji's raw talent. His attacks could be so powerful and broad, he could use his chakra to blow buildings to bits, or shatter a chakra system, or precise enough to severe a single capillary in the wrist. The boy was truly terrifying.

His uncle stumbled back after a particularly difficult training spar, but Ansei wasn't finished. He lunged at his uncle, even after the man had called that he was finished. Before he could hit, however, blinding pain exploded in his head, turning his vision white. Ansei screamed and dropped to his knees, clawing at his bi-colored hair, ripping his scalp. _Are they finally going to kill me?!_ he thought as he fell onto his side, howling.

Just as quickly as the pain started, it ended, leaving him gasping on the ground, shaking violently. When his vision finally faded back to reality, he looked up to see his great grandfather staring down at him. "Hiashi has been far too soft on you," the eldest Hyuuga snapped. "We may not be able to kill you, _boy¸_ but we can make you wish you were dead."

"Too late," Ansei whispered. It was the first time in almost ten years he had felt the power of the mark. They had always been careful not to use it. No one could know he had the curse mark. He wanted to reveal it to anyone who asked, and it wasn't even the fear of death the prevented him from showing them. It was what he knew they would do to him afterward, and not only that, but what they would do to his true parents. If it was merely his life at stake, he would gladly reveal to the village that he was a cursed Hyuuga, but there were far harsher ramifications than his own death if he ever revealed it. Fear was more powerful than any curse mark.

"Go wash up," the elder snapped. Ansei nodded and walked away from them, shooting a glance at his uncle, who was merely watching him with sadness in his eyes. While he was glaring at the shy man left in the yard, he didn't see his other uncle as he slammed right into him.

"N-Neji-san…!" Ansei gasped, bowing deeply to the man. He knew it tore the elders up when he showed more respect for the lower branch members than he did them.

Neji stared down at the child with cold eyes. "Hello, Ansei-sama," he said quietly. Ansei flinched slightly, hating being called anything so respectful. He knew Neji knew he hated it as well, but the man had to treat him like that no matter if they were in private or public. It was the law. "I thought the Hyuuga had no blind spots."

"My apologies, Neji-san," Ansei said, bowing again. Neji sighed and waved his hand to show that he didn't much care when the young Hyuuga did.

"How was your training session with Tori-sama?"

Ansei turned back to where he had left his uncle. The man was gone now, but the dirt was still disturbed from where he had hit. "It was beneficial." Ansei grumbled. He wished Neji could teach him. The man was the only one in the Hyuuga Clan that could go toe-to-toe with Ansei. "Do you think you and I could spar?" he asked.

Neji looked down at the boy and shook his head. "I have other duties to take care of," he muttered.

"What if I ordered you to?" Ansei challenged.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "You may be special outside this compound, but inside, you and I are equals. Don't think for a moment that they care about you, Ansei-sama."

Ansei sighed. He knew that the elders would rather he be dead or living away from the village with his parents. "Very well," he snapped, pushing past the man.

"Ansei, you'd do best to just leave it be," Neji called after him. "They don't like it when you make trouble!"

Ansei narrowed his eyes. He hated it. They all told him that he should just let it go and move on, to accept the lot he had been given in life. He clenched his fists. No one even knew what it was like. He tugged on a handful of his own hair absentmindedly as he headed towards his room to get ready for his mission.

"Leaving so soon?" Ansho snapped from a branching off hallway.

"Leave me alone, Ansho," the boy grumbled. He wasn't in the mood to get into a fight with her.

"Why should I?" she asked. "Is it because you think you're better than us."

"I know I'm not," Ansei answered.

"Oh, please!" Ansho snapped, stepping up to the boy. "Spare me your false modesty! I know you think you're better than everyone here. Or, at least you feel like you're the only one suffering!" She laughed and shoved him back. The boy clenched his fists tightly. He was a year older than she was and she knew not to make him angry. He put a foot behind him, ready to lunge. "You walk around this compound like you are the gods' gift to the world! You're not!"

"I know I'm not," Ansei repeated.

"You are nothing," she growled. "You are less than nothing!"

White hot rage overtook the boy and before he knew it, he was gripping her throat, holding her off the ground. A manic smile crossed his face as rage swirled inside him. Killing her would be easy. He could snap her neck without much effort, or he could send some his chakra into her throat and severe an important artery. He squeezed tighter and her cries for help or mercy were cut off. He could cut off her air supply and watch her die slowly.

He was sick of it. The Main Family hated him because he was part of the Branch family; better yet, he was the son of the failure who had been disowned when her rightful place was at the head. But he also found no love in the Branch Family. They all hated him because he was special to the Main Family. He was needed in a way that they weren't needed.

His whole body shook as the rage he had hid behind a silent mask came to the surface. He'd show them…! He'd show all of them!

Suddenly his arm felt like it was being crushed. Ansei screamed as his arm contorted and twisted in pain. He brought the limb his chest. Ansho fell to the floor, coughing blood into her hands. Neji was by his daughter's side in a second. No one made a move to help the boy as he stumbled back, howling as if his arm was being ripped apart. He looked down to see green marks glowing on the limb that was similar the curse mark on his forehead. The vine-like pattern slowly began to vanish, leaving the limb twitching and shaking with muscle spasms.

"Get ready for your mission," Hiashi ordered. He turned to his nephew. "Take her to the infirmary."

Neji nodded and lifted the child in his arms. He stopped once to look at Ansei as he passed him. Ansei jumped slightly. The look the man had for the boy that had tried to kill his daughter was not fear or anger, but profound sadness and pity.

* * *

"The boy grows more unstable every day," Hiashi said quietly. "He needs to be trained better… _Here,_ not out there with Naruto! Naruto has no knowledge of how to train a Hyuuga! He has potential that needs to be recognized!"

"We can't do that," one of the elders said. "Naruto and his team have been working on this for almost a year. If we were to pull Ansei out now, that would rouse suspicion with the village, especially with the Hokage. It would also break our agreement with Hinata. Ansei is supposed to be a normal ninja until his eighteenth birthday."

"But will he last that long?" Hiashi asked. "Will he last without bringing more attention to himself? The boy can barely contain himself anymore! You saw what he almost did this morning! He can't be trusted out there! He must be confined to the Hyuuga compound!"

"We promised Hinata-chan that he would live as normal of a life as possible," Hanabi interjected between the two elders. "If we were to pull Ansei-kun out of this mission, he would be stuck here. We had a deal with Hinata-chan and we will not break that deal."

"I understand, my Lady, but the boy-"

" _The boy_ has a name," Hanabi snapped firmly.

" _Ansei_ must learn his place, Lady Hanabi," Hiashi reasoned. "I am the guiltiest of this, but we have been letting him get away with far too much. He needs to learn who he is and where he stands in this Clan."

Hanabi sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Ansei will go on his mission with Naruto," she decided. "When he returns, we will discuss this matter further. The Leaf Village cannot become suspicious of us."

"Lady Hanabi, with all due respect, I don't believe that this is wise! Ansei is deadly and he can't control it! We would rouse more suspicion if he kills one of teammates while on that mission!"

"Your grandson is not a murderer!" Hanabi snapped. "Have you so little faith in him? He knows his duty to his Clan."

"If the child is to be an effective weapon, my Lady, he must fly under the radar," Hiashi reasoned.

"And if we pull him out now, that will only draw attention to him!" Hanabi said to her father, glaring at him. "He will do his duty."

"We don't know _what_ that boy will do! He is a monster!" Hiashi growled.

"That you created," Hanabi countered with a dangerous edge to her voice. "My nephew will do his duty and he will go on this mission. When he returns, we will have prepared for this."

Hiashi stared at his daughter for a long moment, then sighed, relenting. "As you wish, Lady Hanabi," he said with as much respect he could muster.

Hanabi stood from her seat. The others at the table followed her in standing. They bowed as she walked out of the large chamber. Once she was out, she felt her whole body shake. She hated them all and how they treated her sister and her son, but she knew she had to do what was best for her Clan, and keeping Ansei happy and discreet was just that.

"How did it go?" Tori asked. Hanabi looked at her husband. He was so much older than her, but he was kind to her.

"As well as can be expected. How is Ansho?"

"She'll be up and terrorizing the village before her missions today," Tori assured the woman. Hanabi sighed. "What will they do with Ansei?"

"He'll be leaving the village with Naruto for a month," she answered. "Hopefully the time away from the village and this compound will be good for him. He needs to be free some times."

"His problems won't go away, Hanabi," Tori muttered.

"I know. I just wish he knew that."

"This will all be over soon, Hanabi," Tori assured her.

"This will never end," Hanabi whispered. "Not for him."

* * *

Naruto was in trouble. Sakura hadn't been too happy about him leaving the village yet again, and had been less happy when he suggested that she and Taiyaki accompany him and his team, but Naruto had already discussed it with Obito. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with Naruto, it was that he didn't discuss it with her beforehand.

Naruto sighed. Their argument had been pretty tame. He hadn't gotten too upset and she had relented quickly, realizing that Naruto was doing his best as a father and husband. Naruto had wanted to take Tai's whole cell, but he couldn't ask Konohamaru to leave the village with Moegi so close to giving birth to their third child. The others in Tai's cell would be on smaller missions. It worked out anyway, since Konohamaru was planning on taking some time off to help around the house.

Naruto looked up at the sky. He had told the girls to meet them at the gates, but, like always, he had to go pick up Ansei. Sometimes the child got too into training and would be late. They were on a schedule and they had to be out of the village by seven that morning.

Naruto was greeted at the gates of the Hyuuga Compound by one of the Branch members who stood guard. He smiled and told the man his business before being led through the compound to where he could pick up Ansei. As they walked on the wooden patio that overlooked a beautiful rock garden, Naruto peeked into one of the open rooms. He stopped for just a moment. In the room was a child. He looked about Taiyaki's age. Naruto had never seen this child before. He cocked his head. The boy in the room wore what looked like a hospital robe and a surgical mask over his pale and thin face. He stared out at the Zen garden with his pale violet eyes through a thin veil.

"Naruto-san, please keep up," his guide called. Naruto nodded and looked once more at the child before jogging to catch up.

"Who is that?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, him?" the man responded. He waved his hand. "Just one of the children here. He is no one, sir."

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, yes. His immune system is weak, so he cannot leave his room very often."

"I see." Naruto looked back at the open door. _Poor kid,_ he thought with a shrug. He bowed to any Hyuuga member they passed and once they made it to Ansei's room, Naruto knocked on it respectfully. "Ansei, are you ready?" he asked. The door opened to reveal the boy. Naruto looked him over and sighed. He always wore black, like he was mourning something. Even in the hottest months and trips to the Sand Village, the boy wore long sleeves and pants in pure black. He sleeves even acted as gloves, having two holes for his two middle fingers.

"I'm ready, sensei," Ansei said with a bow. Naruto smiled.

"Then let's go! We've got a long and grand mission!"

Ansei couldn't help but smile at his teachers over enthusiasm. "Mist Village?" he asked.

"Yep. Nervous?"

"No," Ansei said truthfully. "I'm ready!"

"Good! Oh, we also have a few extra people on the mission."

"We do?" Ansei asked.

"Yeah, we do. We're taking some kids to the orphanage and my son and wife are joining the mission squad."

"Isn't that too many people?" Ansei asked. "I thought that teams of four worked the best."

"Well, we're getting rid of three of them pretty quickly," Naruto assured the Hyuuga. "Then we'll go as one squad."

"That's still a lot of people," Ansei grumbled.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered. "But don't worry! You like my son, right?"

Ansei shrugged. "I guess," he muttered. Naruto sighed. Ansei didn't really like anyone.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"I'm not worried…"

"Good!" Naruto smiled and placed a hand on his student's shoulder. The boy flinched slightly, but gave no other indication that he was uncomfortable with the touch. Naruto removed his hand and sighed. As they passed the open door with the sickly Hyuuga, Ansei turned to look inside the room. Naruto noticed the two Hyuuga lock eyes. The younger one nodded slowly as they passed, offering them a slight smile. Naruto didn't see Ansei's expression, but he noted that the sickly child's smile faded into a troubled frown. "Do you know him?" Naruto asked.

"I don't," Ansei answered. He walked faster to avoid any more questions. Naruto sighed and followed his student silently after that. He closed his eyes. There was so much he didn't understand, it seemed.

"Ansei!" Naruto and the young Hyuuga stopped.

"Lord Hiashi," Naruto greeted, bowing deeply to the elder Hyuuga. Ansei bowed as well without a verbal greeting.

"Naruto," the man greeted. "Ansei, may I have a word with you… In private?"

"Whatever you have to say to me, Hiashi-sama, you can say in front of Naruto-sensei."

"Of course. I just wanted to tell you to be careful."

Ansei narrowed his eyes. "I will do my duty, sir," he said quietly. Hiashi seemed ready to speak again, but Ansei lifted his hand. " _All_ of my duty, Lord Hiashi," he added.

"Very well. I trust you two have a safe mission," the Hyuuga said. Naruto nodded and bowed again. Naruto smiled down at his student, who merely offered him a half grin. Naruto placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and this time he didn't flinch.

* * *

"We're not orphans," Boruto grumbled as they waited for Naruto to return. The others in their squad stood a ways from them.

"Shut up, Boruto! Do you want them to hear you?" Sarada snapped. "Who cares if we aren't? We are here!"

"Why don't we just tell them the truth?" Himawari muttered. She didn't understand why those two kept calling this a game. Even at her young age, she didn't think it was very fun. Now that she had calmed down, she was becoming more agitated with how those two bickered about everything.

Sarada turned to the child and her gaze softened. Himawari frowned. Just because she was the youngest of the three didn't mean they had to keep treating her like an infant. "We can't do that, sweetie. They won't believe us."

"Why not? It's not like weirder things haven't happened in our history," Himawari reasoned.

Boruto smiled at his sister. Her mom had always said she had her father's thick head. "I don't think these guys are as used to what happened in our history as we are."

"Yeah," Sarada said. "I don't think the War happened here, if Obito's Hokage and all…" Himawari shrugged and looked back down at the hole she had been digging in the dirt.

Boruto sighed. "You're going to get your clothes all dirty, Hima-chan," he said. "Come on, up you go!" He lifted her in his arms.

The girl pouted. "I don't need you to carry me, Boruto!" she protested.

"Fine, fine, but stop digging in the dirt."

Himawari stuck her tongue out at her brother and walked away from the two, leaving them to fight like an old married couple. She walked over to Sakura and her son. "Hi!" she said, waving.

"Oh, hello!" Sakura said, smiling at the girl. "How are you three doing, hm?"

"We're good," the girl answered.

"Good."

Taiyaki also smiled at her. They were siblings, weren't they? Himawari walked over to the red and pink haired boy, offering him a hug. Blood rushed to his cheeks and Sakura giggled at her son's reaction. After a moment, Tai sighed and stroked the girl's head. "You have pretty hair," he complimented.

"Thank you!"

Taiyaki smiled down at her. "You're welcome. So, the blonde is your brother, huh?" Himawari nodded. "He seems nice."

"He's a mule," Himawari said. "At least, that's what daddy calls him sometimes!"

Both Taiyaki and Sakura fell silent. Himawari looked at them. Had she said something wrong? Sakura knelt before the young girl. "Do you remember your dad?" Himawari nodded. "What was he like…?"

Himawari sighed. She had to lie, didn't she? "He was really nice… Kind of busy," she answered as truthfully as possible. "But… I think he did his best for us. Boruto, though, was so mad at him…" She bit her lip. "They were so mad at each other. They yelled a lot." She remembered that argument that made Boruto want to run away. Boruto had been so mean to their father and had said some hurtful things. Naruto wasn't purely without fault as well. They had both lost their temper.

She felt arms wrap around her and looked up at Taiyaki. "Don't worry, kid… It'll be okay," he whispered gently.

 _My dad's not dead,_ Himawari thought, but she missed him all the same. Him and Hinata. She leaned into the hug and allowed the other boy to comfort her. She also felt a hand rub her back. Sakura too was comforting her. _I don't like lying to them,_ she thought sadly.

"Hey guys!" Naruto called. Taiyaki released the girl and Sakura stood. Boruto and Sarada came to stand beside Himawari and the two girls that made up the rest of Naruto's team came to stand beside the rest of the team. They bowed to Ansei. Himawari looked at the boy and her eyes widened. He was a Hyuuga! She smiled and waved at him, but he merely looked down at the girl with disdain. Boruto stepped in front of his sister slightly, as if challenging the angry Hyuuga to try anything.

Naruto didn't seem to notice the tension. "Alright, we'll be dropping off these three at the orphanage before heading out."

"Will we being staying there over night?" one of the girl asked.

"No," Naruto said. "We'll just be dropping them off. Are you all ready?" They all nodded and Naruto smiled. "Let's go, then!"


	4. A Genjutsu?

_Author's note: Stuff! Not really… this chapter is pretty humorous._

 _Chapter Four: A Genjutsu?_

"What do you mean you can't take them?" Naruto practically whined. He was in Kabuto's office as the white-haired monk moved about, packing records. "They are orphans! You've never turned away children!"

Kabuto sighed deeply and paused to turn to the orange clad ninja in his office. "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of an evacuation," he said. "I thought I told Obito-sama about this. Why did he send you here?"

"Probably because we left before the message was given. Or he just forgot," Naruto added quietly. "But that doesn't mean anything! Take these kids with you!"

Kabuto rolled his eyes. "I can't do that, Naruto," he said slowly. Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I'm just saying! These kids are lost and confused enough as it is! They have no idea how to deal with a full scale evacuation. Every other child in this orphanage knows Hinata and I and the other staff plus they all have friends. I won't put three recently orphaned children through the stress of an evacuation with strangers."

"So what am I supposed to do with them?" Naruto snapped. "I'm on my way to the Mist Village. I haven't the time to take them back to Konoha."

"Take them with you," Kabuto suggested.

"And how is that any safer than sending them with you and your evacuation?" Naruto asked.

"The mission isn't dangerous is it?" Kabuto responded. Naruto shook his head. This was merely a diplomatic mission. The only reason Naruto's team had been given such a low-ranked mission was because they had been working this investigation for months. "Then they'll be fine."

"I'm pretty sure they are civilians," Naruto grumbled. "I feel like they would be better off with you, Kabuto."

"And I'm telling you they won't!" Kabuto snapped suddenly. "I've worked with these kids longer than you have. Kids tend to latch onto people, especially after a traumatic experience. For whatever reason, those kids like you."

Naruto shook his head. They didn't have time for this. The mission wasn't deadly in any shape or form and the three kids would be surrounded by ninja. "Fine," Naruto relented.

"Good. Now can you do me another favor? You said that you were going to the Mist Village. Why?"

"They've had a few civilian village attacks like the ones we've been having," Naruto explained. "We're going to see if it matches our attacks' patterns."

Kabuto nodded. "Okay. I've noticed some interesting things about the last attack. I'd like to send Hinata with you and have her ask some questions for me."

"You're in the middle of an evacuation!" Naruto threw the man's words back at him. It wasn't that he didn't want to travel with Hinata, he just didn't understand Kabuto's reasoning sometimes. "How can you spare a set of hands?"

Kabuto sighed. "Then give me Ansei," he said.

"I can't do that," Naruto reminded him. "Ansei is our medic, and I know Hinata's a medical ninja as well, but if I'm going to have three civilians, I'd rather have two medics with me."

"The twins, then." Kabuto shrugged.

Naruto sighed deeply, but decided not to argue. The mission wouldn't require any fighting and those kids were probably better off using their talents with Kabuto, "Okay. Deal. Just, if Obito sends back-up for you, don't send them to the Mist village. I'll pick them up on my way back." Kabuto nodded. "Take care of them… and all the kids here."

Kabuto smiled. "I always do. Hinata should be packed soon." Naruto turned and reached for the doorknob. "Naruto." Kabuto said quickly.

"Hm?"

"How is Ansei?" the medic asked.

Naruto turned to Kabuto and smiled sadly. "He's doing okay."

"Is the Hyuuga Clan treating him okay?"

"As far as I know," Naruto said, "but I feel like this mission will be good for him. He needs to get out of that compound."

Kabuto clenched his fists angrily. Naruto cocked his head. As far as he knew there was no bad blood between Hinata, Kabuto, Ansei and the rest of the Hyuuga Clan. Ansei was allowed to visit his parents whenever he wanted. "Just keep an eye on him, please. He seemed a little off last time he was here."

"Sure thing." Naruto promised. "Well, good luck with your evacuation. We'll be back through here in a few weeks."

"Yeah… Thanks, Naruto."

* * *

"Hey, hey, Sarada!" Boruto called as he hurried towards the Uchiha. She was sitting on a rock outside of the gates to the orphanage while the others were rearranging their plans to accommodate their newest addition to the group; Hinata.

"What, Boruto?" Sarada asked, turning to the blonde child. "Where's Himawari?"

"She's off with your mom," Boruto answered. He sat beside the girl on the rock. "So, I've been thinking."

"That's never a good sign," Sarada grumbled. Boruto pushed her playfully and she smiled. "What about?"

"Well, what if this _is_ a genjutsu." Boruto suggested.

"Didn't we discredit that?" Sarada asked.

Boruto waved his hand. "No, no!" he said. "Listen! Remember in history class they talked about something called The Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

Sarada raised an eyebrow. "You paid attention in history class?" she asked.

Boruto shoved her again, harder. "Stop it! I'm serious! What if this is something like _that?_ A genjutsu designed to be unbreakable from the inside or something! Something we're not supposed to detect as a genjutsu!"

"But wouldn't you figuring that out make it not very effective?" Sarada pointed out.

"Well, maybe I'm supposed to know about it!" Boruto reasoned. "This all happened because I got mad at my old man and yelled at him and said some pretty mean stuff…" he trailed off.

"I don't remember you saying anything about what you said to your father, but yes, I recall that being the reason we decided running away was a good plan."

"Anyway!" Boruto continued. "What if I'm here to learn a lesson or something? What if this is punishment? Dad's sneaky like that! He'd do something like this!"

"He doesn't even have time to yell at you," Sarada grumbled, "let alone set this up. Besides, if that's the case, then why am I here?"

"I thought about that too! Dad wouldn't want me in here all alone, so maybe _you_ are part of the genjutsu too!"

Sarada's shoulders dropped and she sighed. "You idiot. I'm not an illusion."

"No, no! Hear me out! Of course you wouldn't know if you were an illusion!"

Sarada closed her eyes and removed her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. What Boruto said made sense, minus the part about her being part of the genjutsu. What didn't make sense was how it happened and why. Did their parents just expect them to hang out in this dream world until one of them cracked? "Say you're right," Sarada muttered without opening her eyes. "Then how do you think we're supposed to get out of this?"

"Well, I thought about that too! We have to fix this world!"

"Fix it?" Sarada asked.

"Yeah! Obviously your mom and my dad aren't supposed to get together! And now my mom is joining this little journey! It's like it's setting up for us to make sure everything's back in order."

Sarada stared at her teammate through blurred vision. "You can't be serious, moron!" she snapped. "What about them? They seem happy here! They even have a kid!"

"But this isn't real!" Boruto protested. "None of this is real!"

"What if it is?" Sarada retorted.

"What if it isn't?" Boruto grumbled.

Sarada looked at Boruto and then shook her head. She didn't know what to believe at the moment. He could be right for all she knew. "What about my parents? We don't know where my dad is."

"This is _my_ illusion, not yours, so I doubt we have to worry about finding Sasuke."

"Are you going to operate like this is just an illusion for the rest of the time we're here?"

Boruto shrugged. "Why not? It makes just about as much sense as ninja fighting on the moon, right?" Sarada giggled. Some in the village still didn't believe that Naruto and the gang had actually fought on the moon.

"True, true," Sarada grumbled. "But could you not treat me like an illusion, please?"

"I guess," Boruto said. He sighed and looked up at the sky. "So, Naruto-san said we're going to the Mist Village."

"They aren't dropping us off here?" Sarada asked. "Why not?"

Boruto shrugged. "Seems like there's some evacuation or something. Apparently they think we're civilians."

"They wouldn't if you hadn't forced us not to pack our headbands," Sarada pointed out.

"How is that _my_ fault?" Boruto snapped. Sarada glared at the boy. "Besides," he said quickly, "how would we have explained to the Hokage that we were Konoha citizens that he had never seen before? I saved us from that awkward encounter!"

Sarada sighed. "I guess," she muttered. She rested her head on her hands and closed her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Boruto asked. "I'm sure Sasuke isn't a criminal or anything here," he assured her. "He's probably just a traveler. If this isn't a genjutsu, he's our best bet to get home." Sarada wasn't amused by her friend's attempts to cheer her up.

"Just shut up, Boruto." She snapped.

"Hold up! Do you think this is _my_ fault?" he asked. "I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Sarada shook her head. "Whatever, Boruto. We need to come up with a plan to test your theory. How are we going to get Lady Hinata and Naruto-san together? How did they get together originally?"

Boruto thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "I dunno. Dad gets all mushy and stuff when he talks about mom," he grumbled. "Something about a scarf and knitting."

"So, we just have to give Naruto a scarf and pretend it's from Hinata!" Sarada declared.

"Yeah!" Boruto's smile faded. "But, we don't have a scarf… and I can't knit," he grumbled.

Sarada narrowed her eyes in thought. She didn't know how to knit either, and even if she did, they didn't have any thread to make a scarf and they really didn't have time to make one anyway. "What if we buy one?" she asked.

"With what money?" Boruto grumbled.

Sarada sighed. He was right. "It must be the thought that counts," she said. "Mom told me that there were things that were far more precious than traditional gifts. What if we just made _something_ for your dad? It's the thought, not the actual gift."

"I guess that makes sense," Boruto said. "But what are we going to make for my dad? It's not like we can make him a big bowl of ramen!" Sarada giggled.

"You know him better than I do," she pointed out.

Boruto frowned. "Let's see… He likes plants!"

"What?" Sarada lifted her head.

"Yeah! Dad's got his own garden on the roof of the mansion!"

"How does that translate to a gift?" Sarada asked.

"Well, if we get him something special like _that_ , then he'll know that Hinata really likes him! Not many people know about his love of plants! It's perfect!"

Sarada smiled mysteriously. "You're right. But, if just Hinata gives gifts to Naruto, we will end up with Naruto thinking that Hinata is just hitting on a married man."

"We could kill Sakura," Boruto suggested. His comment got him shoved off the rock. "I'm kidding!" he gasped. "But if it is just a genjutsu-"

"And what if it isn't?" Sarada snapped. "Don't joke about stuff like that, Boruto!"

Boruto sighed. "I really was kidding, Sarada," he promised as he replaced himself on the rock. "But you're right. This has to be both of them. My mom is pretty easy to please, though. I think a good romantic setting will work just fine!"

Sarada nodded. "Yeah! So, let Operation: Get Your Parents Back Together commence!"

* * *

Hinata placed the last of her items in her bag and shouldered it. She was beyond angry. Ansei had seemed so out of it and she knew why. There was only one explanation; they had used _that_ jutsu on him. She opened the door to Kabuto's office and smiled. He was moving swiftly around the room as he packed the final things. "I'm leaving now," she said coldly. Kabuto stopped and looked up at her with a soft smile.

"Good luck, Hinata," he whispered. He seemed to notice how upset she was. "What's wrong?"

"They used it on him." She snapped. Kabuto dropped what he was doing and hurried to her.

"Did he tell you that?" She shook her head. "Then how did you know?"

"He was so vacant. It's an extremely painful jutsu. One does not just get over having it used on them in one day." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't want to be traveling with _him._ "

Kabuto gripped her shoulders tightly, but comfortingly. "Naruto is just as in the dark about this as the rest of the village. There's no reason to blame Naruto for any of this."

Hinata snorted. "I doubt he's as in the dark as you say. There's no way he's been Ansei's sensei and hasn't picked up on it."

Kabuto smiled warmly. "He's not the sharpest weapon in the pouch," he pointed out. The comment awarded him a faint smile.

"Even if Naruto isn't to blame for this, his father is," she reminded him.

"Yes, but he's not allowed to know that, and I am counting on you to _not_ tell him anything unless we want this whole place to fall apart." Hinata narrowed her eyes at him. Kabuto smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't give me that look. You go make sure there aren't any other kids in danger and I'll make sure the ones we have stay safe, okay?" Hinata nodded. "And have fun with Ansei. This mission came at the perfect time. If there are to start acting like they own Ansei, then he needs time away from the village."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Well, then, you be careful as well, Kabuto."

"I will."

Hinata embraced the white haired man and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Their relationship was far more professional than anything else, but their admiration towards each other was evident. The loss of Ansei to the Hyuuga clan, however, had driven a wedge in them, not enough to drive them apart, but the relationship never fully recovered. Kabuto stroked her hair and smiled. "Now, hurry up or they'll leave you."

* * *

Boruto was already forming a plan, even as they walked down the road. Their group had been told to move on and Hinata would catch up to them. Boruto hadn't seen his mother yet and he was slightly nervous. What if she wasn't the same here? Would that ruin their plan? He kicked the dirt path as they walked, letting to group get farther and farther ahead of him. Himawari was talking Naruto's ear off in the front of the group while Sakura and Sarada spoke to Taiyaki. Boruto turned his attention to the Hyuuga that was bringing up the rear of their group.

Boruto moved over to the boy and walked beside him for a bit. He was shorter than the Hyuuga by a few inches. "So… Are you Hinata's son?" he asked. The boy turned sharply and glared at Boruto. A shiver went down the young Uzumaki's spine. He never liked having those eyes glare at him like that, though Boruto saw a lot of Himawari in Ansei's expression.

"No. I am the son of Lady Hanabi and heir to the Hyuuga Clan," Ansei snapped, holding his head high, but Boruto noted that he didn't say it loud enough for Naruto and Sakura to hear him.

"That's cool." Boruto muttered. _So, we're half cousins, then? Is that even a thing?_

"What?"

Boruto looked up to notice that Ansei was staring at his pondering expression with a mix of annoyance and slight curiosity. "No-nothing," Boruto stuttered.

Ansei laughed slightly and turned away. _Yeesh, he's worse than what dad described Sasuke as,_ Boruto thought. _At least Mitsuki has the potential to be funny._ Boruto looked at his sister with a mix of worry suddenly. What would they do if she decided to activate the Byakugan during this trip? She was still too young to fully grasp how to use the technique and they would be in a lot of trouble if they found out about their Hyuuga blood. Sasuke being out the village gave them a little leeway when it came to Sarada, but the Hyuuga were guarded about their bloodline. The fact that they were half-Hyuuga could cause problems if they weren't careful.

"Naruto-san!" Boruto stopped and turned to see his mother running to catch up. His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Unlike the short hair she sported in their world, her hair here was long. It had been braided for the mission. He bit his lip. Instead of the soft but determined features of the woman he had grown up with, this woman had hard and fierce features. He bit his lip and bowed his head.

The woman stopped before him. "Are these the kids you were supposed to drop off?" she asked Naruto. Boruto almost flinched at the tone she was using with Naruto. It sounded so angry. _How are we going to do this?_ He thought. This wasn't being made easy for them. He turned to Sarada and she shrugged slightly. Himawari was the only one who didn't seem bothered or annoyed by anyone. Again, she walked up to Hinata with a smile on her face. Boruto's eyes widened slightly and looked between Hinata and Himawari, then between Ansei and his sister.

Boruto had inherited a lot of his father's genes, but Himawari… there was no mistaking her for anyone else's daughter. Boruto clenched his fists. He tried not look nervous as Hinata looked the youngest child over. "Is it such a good idea to bring one so young on this mission?" Hinata asked finally.

"I tried explaining that to Kabuto, but he wouldn't really listen to me… You know how he gets sometimes," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head, offering her a faint smile.

Hinata waved him off. "Yeah." She patted the child ion the head and smiled at Boruto before joining the group at the front to discuss plans. Boruto grabbed Himawari. He was suddenly beginning to realize the severity of their situation. He motioned Sarada to join him in the back. "Don't go far!" Sakura called.

"We won't, Sakura-san!" Sarada promised. She ran to the back and the three walked slowly until they were out of earshot of the adults and Ansei. "What is it, Boruto?" Sarada hissed.

"We're not safe here," Boruto snapped.

Sarada lifted her eyebrows. "Why do you say that? We know all of them, and Ansei doesn't seem dangerous."

"No! I'm serious!" Sarada seemed to notice the fear in her teammate's blue eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"What if they find out that Hima-chan and I are Hyuuga?"

"We already told them I'm an Uchiha and hasn't seem to bother them. Why would you being Hyuuga bother them?"

"Because the Hyuuga are more guarded than the Uchiha were!" Boruto snapped. "I spoke once to Hanabi. She told me how the Clan used to be before dad went in there and changed some policies and laws… If my dad isn't the same person here as he was over there, we can safely assume that the Hyuuga clan hasn't changed much! They won't be happy having half-breeds running around!"

Sarada nodded slowly. "That… is a problem." She turned to Himawari. "You cannot activate the Byakugan," she said.

"But, daddy said that if I was ever in danger… Or Boruto-"

"Never," Boruto snapped almost fearfully. He didn't know what they would do to them, but he had heard the stories about the Caged Bird Seal. It was a jutsu that was forbidden now in their world, but he was sure it was still allowed here. He had heard what it did to people. He looked down at his sister. He couldn't let that happen to her.

"But, nii-san," Himawari whimpered.

Boruto knelt before his sister. "This is important, Hima-chan," he said, holding her shoulders tightly. "You cannot. Not under any circumstances, even if I'm in danger, okay?"

"Dad said-"

"I know what dad said!" Boruto snapped. "But dad would want you to be safe, right?" She nodded. "Then you have to do this for me, okay? Sarada and I think we have a way to get home, but until then, you can't activate the Byakugan, you hear me? I don't need my little sister to protect me anyway," he teased with a smile. He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her blue hair. "Promise me, okay?"

She nodded. "I promise!"

 _Author's note: I feel like I need to explain things about this world. But all shall be explained within the story! Because, you know, things like that happen! Next chapter will be action-packed! Hopefully! Thanks for reading!_


	5. The Darkest Side of Me

_Author's note: World One is the canon world that takes place In the manga. World Two is the world where Naruto is married to Sakura. Please try not to get confused! There won't be a lot of world switching. This story will mostly take place in World Two, but the canon people need their moments for this all to make sense._

 _Chapter Four: The Darkest Side of Me_

 _World One: Two Days Ago_

Naruto hadn't even noticed his kids were gone. After his heated fight with his son, he had decided to give his child much deserved space to cool down. That morning, Naruto went to check on them. Hinata would return from a mission later that day. They were gone, but he figured that Boruto had gotten up early to avoid having to talk to his father. Naruto sighed deeply as he signed another piece of paper. The stack was finally coming to an end.

"N-Naruto-sama!"

Naruto lifted his head as the door swung open, revealing Konohamaru. The young man bent over, panting. Mitsuki walked in behind his sensei. "Konohamaru, Mitsuki-kun, what is the meaning of this?"

"Boruto didn't show up for practice!" Konohamaru gasped. Naruto's blood froze. "Sarada didn't either!" Naruto stood and gathered his sage chakra. He scanned the village and the surrounding area, only to find that the children's chakra was nowhere to be found. His eyes snapped open. Even worse, Himawari's chakra was also not present. He scanned desperately and found their residual chakra trails, but his body began to shake when he realized that their chakra signals simply vanished about two kilometers aware from the village gates.

The next two hours were a blur. Naruto stood where the chakra trails had run cold, but there were no bodies or anything to indicate a struggle. Boruto and Sarada were not experienced enough to cover their own chakra, let alone Himawari's. "Kiba!" Naruto shouted. The man ran to him with his dog on his heels. "Please tell me you found _something_ " he practically begged. Kiba shook his head.

"No blood, no nothing. It's like they just vanished."

"That's not acceptable!" Naruto shouted. The only way their chakra would be gone is if they were dead, but there was no sign of a killing anywhere in the area. Naruto closed his eyes. How would he tell Hinata? How would he tell Sakura or Sasuke? "Find something!" Naruto screamed at Kiba. All the power in the world and he couldn't find his own children.

"Naruto, you need to calm down," Kakashi muttered, motioning Kiba to walk away. Naruto spun to glare at his teacher as he advanced on them.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?! They are _gone_! There is no chakra signal! Nothing! It's like they don't exist anymore! How am I supposed to be calm?!"

Kakashi gipped his student's shoulders. "By calming down. You won't find them by acting like this, Naruto. You need to focus. You've been so focused on their chakra. What about strange chakra? Is there anything in the area that you don't recognize?"

Naruto stared at Kakashi. "Yeah," he muttered. He closed his eyes and focused. He felt the chakra of the villagers he had grown to know, and the fading trails of the three children, then a slightly older trail of someone he didn't recognize and a chakra that didn't _feel_ like chakra. His eyes snapped opened. "Something's strange," he said to Kakashi. "I feel… something.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never felt anything like it. It feels… unnatural."

Kakashi blinked. "Unnatural? How?"

Naruto shrugged and motioned for Kakashi to come as he followed the path. Kakashi sniffed while walking, but shook his head. There was no scent, but the unnatural chakra trail led them to a small broken piece of metal. Naruto knelt beside the small half sphere and reached towards it. "Don't," Kakashi snapped. He called for some ANBU to come and bring gloves. Once Naruto had a pair on his hand, he reached down and lifted the electronic device on the ground, only to drop it after a moment's examination.

It landed with the Sharingan pattern facing the midday sky.

* * *

World Two: Present

Boruto was unnaturally quiet and that scared Sarada. Any attempt to talk to him merely got her short, one word answers. He was never this serious, but he actually looked terrified. Luckily the adults weren't paying much attention to the children in their care and while Ansei had seemed to have noticed the change in their blonde companion, he didn't seem to care enough to be concerned. Boruto kept his eyes down as they walked and Sarada kept her eyes on him.

"We'll be fine, Boruto." She whispered. "Stop acting like this."

"How do you want me to act?" Boruto snapped. "I can't let anything happen to her."

"And nothing will. She promised she wouldn't activate the Byakugan and this is practically a civilian mission; not to mention that we aren't even civilians. You need to calm down, Boruto, before the adults start getting suspicious."

"What if our plan doesn't work?" Boruto asked. "Then what?"

"Then we find Sasuke and get him to send us home."

Boruto bit his lip and turned away. "You'll talk to him again," Sarada whispered.

"Who cares if I talk to him again?" Boruto growled. "He's the one that got us into this mess! I don't care if I never see my dad again!"

Sarada blinked. "You don't mean that," she muttered.

"Of course I do. Dad probably doesn't even care that we're gone."

"Your father loves you," Sarada tried to reason.

"He has a horrible way of showing it."

Sarada clenched her fists, but decided to let the subject die. There was no point in arguing with him about that now. "Sure, Boruto. But we need to start working on our plan. Have you considered what kind of plant to get your dad?"

Boruto looked up at the sky. "Probably something bright," he said. "Dad likes plants that grow in sunny spots, like sunflowers." He smiled softly at his sister.

"I don't think we can get him a sunflower, but will any flower do?"

Boruto nodded. "Yeah. Daddy likes flowers."

"Great!" The two continued to discuss their plans as they walked, keeping their voices quiet so not to tip off Naruto or the others about their plotting. They didn't even want Himawari to hear them because she might tell the others about it. She may be powerful and smart, but she was still just a child.

When the group stopped for the night, it was already dark out. Even though Naruto thought the kids he was walking with were civilians, they still kept them walking until well passed sundown. They stopped by a small spring that would provide water and the adults planned when each one would take shifts. Sarada sat down away from the group, watching them as Naruto worked to get a fire going and Taiyaki worked with his mother to prepare a stew for cooking.

Sarada narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched. That was _her_ mother and that kid didn't have the claim to her that she did. She clenched her fists angrily. This was stupid, and it was all Boruto's fault! He didn't have to get in such a large argument with his dad. Why did he have to be so ungrateful? At least he got to see his dad every day, even if it was just a shadow clone sometimes. At least Himawari was mature enough to know that her dad was busy! Why did Boruto have to be such a spoiled brat?

"Is something wrong?" Taiyaki asked. Sarada looked up. She hadn't even noticed the red-haired boy had come to her. She looked down and noticed that she was trying to choke the life out of a stick that she hadn't even realized that she picked up.

The stick fell from her hands.

"No," she muttered. "Nothing is wrong."

He sat beside her, much to her distaste. "You sure?"

Sarada sighed. Just like Sakura, it seemed that her son had also gained the ability to tell if something was wrong. "It's just all of this," she grumbled.

Taiyaki turned to Sarada and frowned. "I see. This all must be difficult."

 _You have no idea,_ Sarada thought with a silent chuckle. She smiled softly. "It is. It's just… I miss my mom." And that was the truth. She loved Sasuke, but she hardly knew the man. Taiyaki turned to Sakura and smiled sadly, then he turned to his father. "Do you love your dad?" Sarada asked suddenly. Taiyaki flinched, surprised by the question. Then a smile spread across his face.

"Yeah. He's a bit absentminded and annoying at times, and he spends a lot of time out of the village, but he's still my dad."

Sarada blinked. "He spends a lot of time outside the village?"

"He does," Taiyaki said. "He's the assistant to Obito-sama, and usually does a lot of missions like this; just going out and doing diplomatic stuff. I get mad at him sometimes, but I still love him. I know he tries real hard for us." Sarada smiled a little wider. "So, you're an Uchiha, huh?" Taiyaki asked after a moment.

"Y-yeah," Sarada stammered, trying to come up with some excuse.

"I haven't seen an Uchiha not from the village," he said.

"There are Uchiha in the village?" Sarada asked.

Taiyaki nodded. "Yeah! A lot of them! They are the most powerful clan in the whole village." Sarada turned as she heard Ansei scoff bitterly at that.

 _A bit of rivalry between the Hyuuga and Uchiha, I see,_ Sarada thought. "Were there no issues?"

"Not really. I heard there was a coup in the works a long time ago, but granddad took care of it, then when Obito became Hokage, the Uchiha seemed to have settled down. Or, at least that's what granddad and dad said." Taiyaki shrugged.

Sarada sighed. So, Obito might have been made Hokage in order to appease the Uchiha clan to prevent the coup. "When did Obito become Hokage?" she asked.

"Hmm… It was before I was born," Taiyaki answered. "Probably when Naruto was seventeen or eighteen. Around there."

"Oh." Sarada closed her eyes and tried to do the math. Her mother hated to talk about the Uchiha family's dark and twisted past, so when she had asked why there weren't any Uchiha in the village, her mother hadn't recounted the entire tale, and in history class, the Massacre was mentioned as a dark time in their past and then glossed over, as history usually does. The math didn't fully add up in her head, so she stopped trying. "It must have been a good step for the village to let an Uchiha become Hokage."

Tai nodded. "It was! Everyone was really pleased that someone so deserving got the position! Obito is nothing short of a hero!"

"Don't include the entire village in your sweeping generalization," Ansei growled angrily.

"Well, the Hyuuga were a little upset," Tai grumbled. "But aren't the elders over it?"

"Sure."

"You'll really like Konoha if you decide to live there," Tai offered with a smile. Sarada blushed faintly, which made the boy turn in embarrassment. She sighed.

 _I hope he doesn't have a crush,_ she thought solemnly. _I'd hate to have to tell him that we're technically half-siblings…_ She offered him a smile. "It sounds like a wonderful place," she said. In truth, this version of Konoha seemed less tainted by the blood of the innocent. They seemed to have their stuff together better than the Konoha she was used to. She smiled at the thought. Maybe she had more of a family here than their home.

But her eyes traveled to Boruto and how he watched his sister like a hawk and how he was nervous just being there. He would never feel safe here, she knew, and she also knew that no matter what he said, he still loved his father with all his heart. "I'm sure we'll find a home," she said to Taiyaki.

* * *

Boruto hated this. He hated feeling helpless and lost. He wasn't sure how to react to anything. Even as he walked through the forest surrounding their camp to find a flower for his father, he felt lost. It was later that night and everyone was asleep, except Hinata. It was her turn to guard. He had lied to her and told her that he was just getting up to relieve himself. In truth, he couldn't sleep and he didn't want to get dragged into a conversation with his mother who didn't even know she was his mother.

He closed his eyes and stopped by a small stream to get a drink. They had to get out of there quickly if they were going to get out at all. He knew he was probably overreacting about how the Hyuuga would react to another Byakugan user, but he wasn't about to take that risk. What if he wasn't overreacting? Would they really harm children in order to protect their precious ability? He wasn't sure, but he also wasn't prepared to find out.

As he brought a handful of water to his mouth, a flower caught his attention. It was a beautiful, light blue flower with silver specks on the petals. He smiled. His father would love something like that! Without another thought, the boy got to work making a pot the put the flower in. He knew what Naruto would do. He would take the flower and smile before planting it somewhere. Taking to plant with them on this trip was impractical and stupid, but it was the thought that counted!

Once the pot was finished, it was well past midnight. Hinata's shift was probably over and it was now Sakura's turn. As he turned, he was stopped by Hinata herself.

"There you are!" Hinata gasped. "I was worried sick!" Boruto quickly hid the plant before she could get a good look at it and then turned fully around to greet his mother.

"Sorry, ma'am. I was just thinking," he lied smoothly, hoping she didn't ask too many questions after that.

"No need to apologize," Hinata said gently. When she spoke to kids, she was an entirely different person. Her voice was kind and gentle, but when she spoke to Naruto it was cold and guarded. "It's just that, on ninja missions, we don't like our people to get too far away, you see. I was just a little worried about you, is all," Hinata said with a smile.

"Oh… I'm really sorry…"

Hinata smiled softly. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get you back to camp."

Boruto turned to the bush where he had hid the plant and sighed. They would get it tomorrow. "So," he muttered, hoping to sound casual. "What's the deal with you and Naruto-san?" He tried to sound as innocent as possible, but he still regretted the words.

Hinata sighed and bowed her head. "It's a long story about a bunch of politics, kid. You probably won't be interested."

"I would," Boruto protested.

Hinata looked at him and smiled sadly. "Well-"she began, but never continued. She stopped suddenly. "Get behind me," she whispered. Boruto did as he was told, hiding behind the woman. She fell into a defensive stance and stared around with her Byakugan on. Boruto listened to the sounds around them and narrowed his eyes. He heard nothing and he knew she saw nothing.

Suddenly he heard a sound behind him, then another sound in front. They were surrounded. "Who are they?" he whispered. She shook her head.

"I don't know," she whispered, "but don't worry."

Boruto cursed the fact that they were trying to keep up the lie that they were civilians. He wanted a weapon. They were close to camp, but not close enough to make a run for it. The attack came swiftly. Boruto reacted like any trained ninja, but without weapons, he merely dodged without countering. Hinata countered instead, jumping at the attacking ninja. The man that had attacked stumbled back from Hinata's attack. Boruto looked at the man as he fell. He didn't look too threatening. He seemed more underfed than anything. It was the uniform that bothered Boruto. While it didn't look exactly the same as the sound ninja that Boruto knew, it was close enough to cause him to worry.

"Sound Ninja?" Hinata muttered. "That's odd. Why are they being active? Especially to us?" She turned to the dark forest, pinpointing one of the hidden ninja in the trees. "We have a peace treaty with your village!" she called. "Why attack us?" The answer that came was a knife aimed at the child. After defecting the weapon, Hinata glared at the source. "Attack a child, will you?" she called angrily.

Boruto narrowed his eyes. The attack pattern made no sense. They had the two surrounded but yet they weren't attacking together. They made no demands or attempted to even engage them. What was their game?

It seemed that Boruto and Hinata came to the same conclusion at the same time because they turned to each other. They were the only ones awake and the camp was vulnerable. Hinata grabbed Boruto and took off running towards camp. Boruto didn't need the encouragement. His sister was alone in camp. He wasn't worried about her getting hurt, he was worried about her fighting. The ninja that were surrounding them took off after them. Boruto passed Hinata and ran faster.

He spun as the woman screamed. So worried was she about the child in her care, she hadn't been paying attention. Boruto stopped, staring at the woman as she had a long broad sword sticking out from her stomach. "Mom!"

It wasn't Boruto who screamed, but Ansei. The younger Hyuuga stared widely at the elder, his whole body shaking. "Ansei," Hinata whispered. "G-go…!"

Boruto felt sick. He heard shouting at the camp site, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the scene. The attacker ripped the weapon out of her body. Hinata dropped to the ground, coughing violently. Ansei rushed to her side and Boruto ran at the attacker. The ones who had been surrounding them had joined the others in attack their tiny camp. _What is this?!_ He thought. Ansei looked almost as shocked as Boruto did, but a different kind of shock. He looked almost as if he was being betrayed. Boruto turned to the single attacker. He went to attack, but was stopped by a red blur. His eyes widened. He had really only seen his father use the power of Kurama, and it had never looked like that before. Boruto had never seen thee dark crimson glow of the fox's chakra. But what truly shocked the boy was not the glow of the beast, but the person beneath it. Instead of the familiar blonde hair of Uzumaki Naruto, Boruto spotted flashes of white and black tresses beneath to chakra glow.

"Ansei?!" Boruto gasped. He turned and fled from the scene as the now three-tailed glowing beast ripped the Sound Ninja apart. He didn't get far before a glowing, clawed hand ripped through his calf-muscle, tearing it to shreds. Boruto hit the ground. He had never felt pain like that before and the blood loss was terrible. Ansei was on top of him in a second, ripping his skin in an attempt to hit his vitals.

Boruto screamed and before long, he was thrown into a tree. The screaming stopped and turned to whimpers. He had heard stories of his father when he entered the tailed-beasts modes. He was unable to distinguish friend or foe. Boruto backed up against the tree, shaking violently as the glowing beast walked towards him.

Ansei lunged and Boruto screamed, but the attack never came. Through his own terrified screams, heard a loud, high-pitched voice shout in fury. Ansei flew backwards, howling angrily. Boruto looked up to see his sister standing in front of him, two fingers pointing towards Ansei, showing how she had attacked him. "Hima…" Boruto gasped. "Off… Before…" He stopped as the others from the camp came running towards them. Naruto stopped, dumbfounded at the scene.

"Ansei?" he whispered in shock. He turned to Boruto and Himawari. "Byakugan?! What is the meaning of this? Hinata, are you alright?" he called.

"Yeah," came the weakened voice. Boruto turned to his mother. She was healing the massive wound on her belly. "Where are they?'

"Retreated," Naruto answered. "We were outnumbered, but they were outclassed." He stood in front of Himawari and Boruto while Sakura came to them. Sarada ran to Boruto's side and quickly started healing the wound on his leg. Already he was beginning to feel light-headed from the loss of blood.

"You know jutsu?" Sakura asked, sounding shocked. "Who are you kids?" Boruto watched as Naruto tried to talk to Ansei, but he was having none of it. The two attacked each other, fighting tooth and nail, but it only seemed to be getting worse. Naruto looked just as shocked as Boruto was. _How does he not know his own student was a Jinchuuriki?_ Boruto asked silently, distracted from his own dire situation. _And why isn't dad the Jinchuuriki?_

These thoughts went through his head as his heart pumped more blood from his body into the ground below. "Stop bleeding!" Sarada screamed. She was a talented medic, but she was scared and had never practiced on the field before. Himawari was shaking his arm, crying out to him. Her hands were warm.

Boruto was vaguely aware of Sarada being almost violently pushed out of the way and her form was replaced by Hinata. The woman had hardly even stopped her own bleeding before coming to stop his. He watched through blurring vision as Naruto fought to keep Ansei down.

A yellow flash erupted in the clearing and suddenly Naruto was gone. "Dark Phoenix Prison Jutsu!" a voice called forcefully. Suddenly the glowing beast howled; not in fury, but in pain. Even Boruto, whose senses were dulled by the attack winced. It sounded as I the poor creature was being ripped apart from the inside. The howls and screams that came from Ansei's mouth would not soon be forgotten by anyone in the clearing.

Ansei dropped to his knees. The glow intensified for several seconds and for a moment, Boruto thought that whoever had initiated the jutsu had merely made things worse, but the glow slowly began to fade. Boruto watched as Ansei's skin revealed an intricate green patter all over it that was glowing with the force of the jutsu. The pattern wrapped around his neck and seemed to be choking him. It dug into his eye sockets, trying to rip his eyeballs out. It wove over his arms and legs, seemingly twisting them out of shape and breaking every bone. The vine-like patterns continued under his shirt where Boruto could not see, but he could imagine. A single mark on his head glowed the brightest.

Himawari was watching from a different perspective. She could see the chakra as it dug into the poor child's body, ripping him apart from the inside out and burning him. Tears ran down her face, not wanting to watch the scene, but too petrified to turn away.

Boruto thought for sure the jutsu would kill Ansei. He almost hoped it would, not because he was angry at Ansei for hurting him, but because he knew the pain the child was experiencing was unimaginable. Finally the glow died completely and the screaming stopped as the green vines on Ansei's body faded. For a long moment the only sound in the clearing was the sound of retching as Ansei emptied the contents of his stomach. Everyone was too dumbfounded or scared to move to aid the boy.

Hinata was the first one up. Boruto was no longer in danger of bleeding out, so she ran to her son's side to try and comfort him, but there was not enough comfort in the world. "What was that?" Hinata shouted at the unseen jutsu caster. Boruto bit back his own snide remark about the man yelling it out before he initiated the attack. He turned as a third Hyuuga entered the clearing, followed by Naruto and a man that Boruto could only imagine was Minato. "Neji? What is the meaning of this?" Hinata snapped.

"The jutsu is known as the Dark Phoenix Prison," the other Hyuuga, Neji, explained. "It is a stronger form of the Caged Bird Seal, designed to keep the Jinchuuriki in check."

"And they let a lower branch member be able to use is?" Hinata growled, holding the child protectively.

"I created it," Neji snapped.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Wait a second!" Naruto interjected. "How is Ansei the Jinchuuriki? It was supposed to go to Karin's daughter after mom died!" He turned to his father angrily.

Minato closed his eyes. "That's… a long story, son," he muttered.

"What is going on here?!" Naruto shouted. "How is that girl a Hyuuga? How do you know medical ninjutsu?" He pointed to Sarada. "And why don't you have the Byakugan if you are related to the girl? Why is Ansei even sealed? That wasn't part of the deal that Kabuto and Hinata had with the Hyuuga Clan!"

Again they lapsed into silence. Boruto felt his labored breathing was the only sound anyone was making. "Naruto," Minato whispered, breaking the silence. "You and I…We have to talk…"

 _Author's note: Dun dun dunnnn! Because stuff always happens in my stories! Stuff's about to get real!_


	6. My Purpose

_Author's note: This chapter is_ extremely _dialogue heavy. Bear with me! Hopefully it will be worth it!_

 _Chapter Six: My Purpose_

"What is going on?" Naruto snapped as Minato and he moved to a more secluded place. Minato sighed. He hadn't wanted Naruto to find out this way, but how long did they really think they could keep it a secret? It was a miracle that something like this hadn't happened before now. "Why are you even here?"

"I have a seal on him that activates when he activates the fox's chakra," Minato explained slowly. "I am to gather someone that can activate the Dark Phoenix Prison and take them to him. Neji was the first one that I found." Naruto glared at his father angrily. "Don't look at me like that."

"What is happening? Do you know those kids?" Minato shook his head. "I was in the meeting where it was decided that Karin's daughter would have it! We decided to keep it in the Uzumaki line! This was decided when mom got sick! Karin was even moved into the village and given a house!"

Minato closed his eyes. "That was originally the plan," Minato muttered. "We had already contacted Karin and she had agreed to it. Your mother agreed to it and it was all arranged, but things changed. There's a lot of things I never told you about."

"Well, now is a perfect time to tell me," Naruto snapped.

"I guess it is. Ansei doesn't really exist," Minato muttered. Naruto blinked. "According to all records, Ansei, Hinata and Kabuto's son, does not exist. He had been wiped from every registry. His birth was not even recorded."

"But… Why?" Naruto asked.

"Because the Hyuuga wanted it. When Hinata gave birth to Ansei, the elders were angered that she had a male heir. They pushed Hanabi into an arranged marriage with Tori, who was considerably older. Obito came to me when he found out about them basically forcing Hanabi to give birth, but she said that she had agreed to it, and you know we try not to interfere with them as much as we can." Naruto nodded slowly. Minato knew his son had always wanted to change the Hyuuga clan, but there was always a war to be fought and no time to clean up the problems in their own village.

"So, she got pregnant, but her pregnancy was laden with problems. She ended up in bed rest for the last three months, and her son was born a month early with multiple deformities and a weak immune system. He was a sickly child that they weren't sure if he would live. It was, however determined that all his birth defects were not due to any genetic problems, so his genes are still good."

Naruto bit his lip. "Why did she only have one son?" he asked. "Surely they would want her to have a child that did not have so many problems."

Minato looked at his son sadly. "Her organs were damaged during the pregnancy. Her body was too young to handle the stress of carrying a child."

"She can't have any more kids?" Naruto muttered.

"No, she cannot. That child would be the only heir they would have. Around this time was when Kushina got ill and the doctors told us that there was nothing they could do. The Uchiha had already approached us about having the fox in their Clan, but we denied them to keep the rivalry between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha down. Giving the fox to either clan would anger the other." Naruto opened his mouth to point out the obvious, but Minato held up his hand to silence his child. "Yes, you were in the meeting to decide where the fox would go and we were prepared to give the fox to Karin's son, but the Hyuuga came forth and demanded we give the fox to Hanabi's child. They believed that he would gain his strength with the fox.

"They were denied, of course, for the same reason that the Uchiha, but they were more persistent than the Uchiha. After the Uchiha asked, they let it die, mostly because they had an Uchiha as Hokage, but the Hyuuga needed the fox. They argued with us for weeks about it, until finally they came to the conclusion that they would leave the village if we didn't give them the fox."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

"Exactly… But we decided that we would rather have them as allies than enemies, so we agreed. However, it was determined that the child was too weak to hold the fox. The demon would be able to escape from such a weak vessel. We could not give the fox to the child." Minato closed his eyes, debating on saying the next words. He didn't know how Naruto would take it, but he did know the man wouldn't take it well. "But there was another child from someone from the main branch of the Clan. They were only a year apart. The Hyuuga demanded that Ansei be brought to the village to basically become Hanabi's son."

Naruto took a step back, his eyes narrowed. "Hinata and Kabuto denied, of course, but the Hyuuga came to us with their same demands. Obito and I went to Hinata and Kabuto and said that if they did not send Ansei to the village, we would cut off all funding to the orphanage and brand them as traitors… and they would be treated as such."

"You did what?!" Naruto shouted. "You would have thrown children on the streets to keep the Hyuuga in the village? How could you?!"

Minato frowned. "There are a lot of factors, Naruto. Had the Hyuuga left the village, they would have gone to another village. Their obvious destination would have been the Rock Village, and with them would go all our village's secrets."

"You would murder children!" Naruto screamed.

"We wouldn't have murdered them," Minato countered. "We would have treated them as traitors, and we knew that Hinata and Kabuto would agree to it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes angrily. "You threatened an entire orphanage of children so you could use another child!"

"Yes we did!" Minato growled. "We did, and we'd do it again! Naruto, there are things you don't understand about this world, and this is one of them! We didn't want to use Ansei like that, but it was the only way!"

"There's always a better way," Naruto snapped.

Minato shook his head. "You are still that wide-eyed child that believed there is only good in this world," he snapped.

"I'd rather be a child if this is what being a mature adult is!"

"It was a choice that we made! Ansei is one child! What is that one child compared to the hundreds that would have died in a civil war, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head slowly and turned away from his father. Minato knew what was coming before the words were uttered from his son's mouth. "I was on a mission when mom died…" he muttered. Minato felt tears fill his eyes. He had hoped he would never have to explain this. "That wasn't an accident, was it?"

Minato stood in silence for a long moment before taking a deep breath. "No… It wasn't." Naruto clenched his fists. "We didn't want to burden you with the truth, and you were still young back then. We knew you would speak out against it, or tell your mother."

"So you sent me away," Naruto whispered.

"Yes, we did."

"And she didn't know," Naruto breathed. "I wasn't there for her. I didn't even say good-bye! I _never_ forgave myself for that! Not being able to hold her hand and be there for her is the biggest regret of my life! I never got over that, and you let me feel like that this long?!" He ended in a shout. "You sent me away! I didn't even get to say good-bye to my own mother because you wanted to use a child as a pawn!" He spun and punched his father squarely in the jaw. Minato stumbled back. "Why?!" Naruto screamed. "What's the purpose of this?!"

* * *

Hinata looked at Neji, then to Boruto and Himawari, then to Sarada. Boruto was asleep now, his sister sitting beside and stroking his blood-streaked hair. Tears fell from her now blue eyes. Sarada was being drilled with questions by Sakura as she stood uncomfortably. "Dark Phoenix Prison," Hinata muttered.

Neji nodded. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said gruffly.

"No… I should have known they would have done something like this."

"Hinata, I didn't want to do this to him, or to you," Neji whispered. "But he could have hurt someone."

"I know," Hinata answered as she stared down at her son. He whimpered softly in his uneasy sleep. "I just wish it didn't have to be like this." Neji knelt in front of his cousin. "Naruto really didn't know about any of this, did he?" she asked.

"No, he didn't. He's just as in the dark about this as the rest of the village."

Hinata looked towards where Naruto and his father had disappeared. "Probably not anymore," she muttered. "I spent all this time hating him for something he had no control over. He really was trying his best, wasn't he?"

"I would imagine so," Neji admitted.

Hinata closed her eyes. "What about the girl and her brother?" she asked finally.

Neji sighed and turned to the two children. "The right thing to do would be to tell the elders about them." Hinata's eyes snapped open. "But that would be the worst thing for them both," he added quickly. "The best thing for them would be to keep it secret. Can't you send them to the orphanage?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. Kabuto has evacuated the orphanage and I don't know which safe house they went to. What are we going to do? If the elders find out about them…" she trailed off.

"They would take their eyes, most likely," Neji finished. "At least. Killing them would be worst case. Should we tell Obito about them?"

Hinata shook her head again. "No. There's enough tension between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. If the elders were to find out the Obito was keeping this secret from them, we could be looking at problem."

"Then they're most likely safest with you," Neji admitted. "I believe this mission is over. Will you be heading to Konoha with them?"

"I will," Hinata said with a nod. "I believe it's time to speak with my own father about what's going on here."

"You might not like the results," Neji said.

"I stood by and watched them treat Hanabi like an object," Hinata snapped. "They wouldn't even let me see her or speak to her. I will not let them treat my son the same way anymore!"

"Hinata," Neji whispered. "It's worse than that now. We're too deep in. Things have gone to hell since Ansei and Hanabi's son have switched. You probably shouldn't be anywhere near the elders right now."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at Neji. "What have they done this time?"

"I can't say," Neji muttered, rubbing his head. Hinata rested a hand on his arm to comfort him. "But we need to keep those children safe. No one can know about the Byakugan. The elders are already on edge. If they believe that someone has gone rogue and fathered these children, there will be no stopping them from doing whatever it takes to protect the clan line." He looked at his sleeping nephew. "I will speak to the elders about this. They won't like that Naruto knows now, but it will distract them from the bigger issue. You need to find out who parented those kids."

Hinata nodded. She still wanted to speak to her father, but it might be easier for her to speak to Hanabi or Tori at the point. "I will do my best," she muttered. She looked at Neji, her eyes wide. "Have they done something bad?" she asked.

Neji nodded. "There's no turning back now, Hinata," he grumbled, looking up at the grey morning sky. "And I'm sorry…"

* * *

Boruto wasn't sure what to do anymore. They had spent the entire day recovering and then they would return to the Leaf Village in the morning. The mission, it seemed, was canceled due to injuries. Boruto's leg still hurt despite his mother's healing ability. When Naruto and Minato had finally returned, Naruto looked angrier than Boruto had ever seen him and Minato just looked dejected and almost confused. Boruto wanted to talk to his grandfather. He had heard so many great things about the man and to actually have a chance to speak with him was almost a dream come true, but the boy wasn't sure that this Minato would want to speak with him.

The boy leaned back and closed his eyes, hoping for something, anything, to make sense about any of this. The pain had been real, but he could still try to pass this off as a genjutsu if he tried hard enough. He clenched his fists. How would he get his parents together if they hated each other? How would this possibly work?

Boruto turned to Minato. He stood slowly and limped over to the man. "Hi," he muttered softly.

"You shouldn't be up, kid," Minato muttered. Boruto sat down in front of him and studied his face. He looked old tired, just like Naruto had in their world. "What?" Minato asked.

"Nothing," Boruto said quietly. "I just… never knew my grandfather."

Minato smiled warmly. "In this world it's rare for children to meet their grandparents," he said kindly. "What about your dad?"

Boruto's shoulders dropped. "He and I… we got in a fight before this all happened," Boruto grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Minato whispered.

"Thanks…" Boruto wanted to tell the man what was really going on. Tears began welling in his eyes, but he didn't want to cry in front of anyone. He had to be strong for Himawari and Sarada, and he couldn't break down. Minato seemed to notice the look in his eyes.

He reached over and placed his hand on the boy's head, smiling as warmly as he could. "I know it's hard," he whispered. "But, you can get through this, right?"

Boruto couldn't help but smile. There was so much of Naruto in the older man. Boruto moved forward and hugged Minato tightly. At first he could feel the man stiffen, as if unsure why a child he hardly knew would hug him so kindly; but after a moment he returned the embrace.

Boruto couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He buried his head in the man's chest; a man that was his grandfather but would never know how much this hug meant to the child in his arms. Minato rubbed his back slowly, trying to calm the child's tears. "It'll be okay," Minato whispered in the kindest voice he had. "Don't worry about it."

They stayed there for a few moments before Boruto broke away, drying his tears. They spoke to each other while the sun set, talking about anything they could think about. It wasn't until the man had settled down for the night that Boruto stood and stumbled back to where Hima and Sarada were. They were asleep by that point and he settled down beside them, but sleep didn't come to him.

He gave up on it after about an hour and he stood to move to another side of the clearing by himself. He stayed in silence until another figure came to sit beside him. "I wanted to apologize," Ansei muttered. Boruto shrugged.

"It's no big deal."

"It really is. I'm really sorry." Boruto sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to talk to the other boy, but the other boy wanted to talk, it seemed. "I don't mean to hurt people…" Ansei whispered. "At least, not when I was younger."

"What changed?" Boruto asked, deciding that he should indulge Ansei.

"I don't remember living with my mom and dad at the orphanage," the Hyuuga started.

Boruto suppressed a sigh. _I didn't want your life story,_ he thought, but he decided that he should at least listen to the story.

"I was one when they took me away. I grew up as a ghost in the Hyuuga compound. No one would look at me as I played in the yards. No one spoke to me unless it was to correct my form. They trained me in near silence and they never looked at me unless it was to check a move I was working on. Even when I was being scolded, it was through a screen and I could not see who was speaking to me… but more importantly, they could not see me."

Boruto blinked. _Does he really want to talk to me about this? We hardly know each other. Sure, we're technically siblings, but he doesn't know that,_ the Uzumaki thought. He didn't interrupt, however. He merely turned to the night sky as the words continued.

"When I was four, I finally met him… Hanabi's real son," he added quietly. "He was a weak little thing with skin that was like tissue paper. His pale eyes were almost as white as his flesh and if he moved, it was slow, like his body hurt him when he did. I learned how to take care of him. They taught me how to feed him, how to exercise his stiff and deformed limbs, and even how to bathe him and clean up after him. They all treated him like some porcelain artifact that would be broken if they even looked at him. He wasn't allowed to leave his room.

"For a while, I came to his room and we would speak. He would listen as I described what the outside looked like. I told him about the feeling of the sun on the skin and how it felt to be slapped or to fall… And in exchange, he would tell me what it felt like to be spoken to… to be acknowledge, though they never treated him like a real person. He was just something they weren't allowed to break; he was almost like a prized vase, a doll for display only; but he was _my_ doll. _"_

Boruto turned to the other boy. He didn't even seem to notice another presence beside him. _It might make him feel better to be listened to_ , Boruto reasoned with a nod. He wasn't sure what the purpose of this was. Why did Ansei want to tell his life story to a perfect stranger?

"I loved him… but like how a child loved a favorite toy. I looked forward to our meetings, but as time went on, I slowly began to resent my little Ningyo, and that resentment turned to hatred. I began thinking of ways to hurt him, but I could do nothing to him that his body did not already do because he lived in constant pain. I became frustrated with him, and then I stopped talking to him… That was when I learned what the best punishment was… I didn't speak to him. He would get annoyed as I came in to bathe him without saying a single word. As the weeks wore on like this, he became more and more agitated… and even frightened. He would beg me to speak with him, but I didn't. For the first time someone needed something from me. I had control over someone else.

"It wasn't until a couple years later that I was bathing him and I realized how easy it would be to kill him. Life, I learned, was fragile." Boruto clenched his fists. Now he was afraid to interrupt the story. "I held him under the water and watched as he struggled against me, but he was too weak to escape. I held him down there until just after he passed out. When I realized what I had done, I yelled for someone to come and I fled before they came." Ansei wiped a tear from his eye and Boruto sat frozen in place. He wasn't sure if he should stop the other Hyuuga or not. He probably wouldn't even notice if I walked away, he thought with a shudder.

"I realized then that life could end in a moment, and I thought that maybe that was my way to escape. I would become a true spirit to haunt the halls, so I went to the garden in the dead of night with a knife in my hand. I could finally be free from their uncaring stares and anger… But before I could plunge the knife into my throat, an elder stopped me. He took the weapon from my hand as gently as possible and told me that my life was too valuable to throw away like that. In tears, I asked him what my purpose was, and he told me that I had a purpose far greater than anyone who had come before me…

"And for a while, they treated me like that," Ansei continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "The main branch members treated me like one of them and the lower members treated me like a main branch. I wasn't allowed to see my little Ningyo again, however. I was too busy anyway. They taught me things that only the head of the household would know; how to attend meetings, politics and other things I found to be boring. They also passed down to me attacks and abilities that were reserved only for the Main Family. For the first time in my life, I was happy. I didn't fully understand what they wanted me to do, but I had been given something like a purpose and I was happy…"

Boruto sighed and looked up at the sky. Ansei was off in his own little world. _I wonder how often he tells this story to the trees_ , he thought. He knew he should feel bad for the guy, but it seemed like Ansei had a better life now.

"When Ningyo turned nine, I was brought out into the village for the first time. It was when they wanted to present the Hyuuga heir to the people. Anyone who saw us bowed deeply, showing the upmost respect. I wanted to tell them that I wasn't the heir of the family and it wasn't my birthday, but when I tried, the elder pulled me aside and told me that I was not to speak to anyone in the village. He told me that if I was to be the savior of the Hyuuga Clan, I had to do everything they said without question. I was quiet the rest of the day, but I thought about what I was told. I didn't like it.

"So, I tried to do something about it. I ran from my handlers and tried to find anyone who would listen. I was scared. When my handlers found me, they tried to restrain me, and something snapped. I took out a knife and killed one of them. The other knocked me out. It was then that they created the Dark Phoenix Prison and put it on me… I was ten years old.

"After that, no one spoke to me. I trained on my own. They sent me to the academy, but even there, I was royalty to them, so no one spoke to me, too afraid that they would offend. I was the top of my class; intelligent and powerful with grades that anyone would envy… But I was… unstable. I was back to being a ghost, but this time I didn't have Ningyo. The elders would only speak to me to reassure me that I was the savior of the Hyuuga Clan… But I hated the Hyuuga Clan. The Lower Branch resented me because I was important… The Main Family hated me because I wasn't one of them. Hanabi never forgave me for trying to kill her son… The village didn't know what I was going through, and frankly, they didn't care. I lived my life being hated by everyone around me, and then being told that I was meant to save them!"

Boruto jumped. After so long of a cold, soft, monotone narrative, Ansei nearly ended in a shout. "I didn't want that destiny! I didn't want the fate that they said I was given…! I hated the Hyuuga Clan, and that hatred festered and grew, until it climaxed and I strangled a classmate the day before our graduation ceremony. I watched her die in my hands and I remember pretending I was choking the life of the Hyuuga Clan. If they wouldn't let me kill myself, then I would let Konoha take me away from them. A life in a literal prison was better than the hell I faced every day!"

Ansei laughed bitterly, clenching his fists as tight as he could. He knuckles turned white. "But of course the Hyuuga Clan made it go away!" he snapped angrily. "The cover up story was that it had been a training accident! The parents of that girl didn't even get to see the body and the teacher that was supposed to be supervising us that day was fired, forced to move into the ANBU where he was most likely killed to keep what I had done a secret! And me… Well, they didn't punish me at all! I got away with it! They let me get away with murder!"

Boruto shook his head slowly, trying to think of something to say to stop this, but he didn't know what. Ansei had two murders to his name and another attempt, yet he was allowed to walk free! Why had Konoha let this happen? Why hadn't they done anything to stop the abuse to this child before it had escalated to violence and murder? Why hadn't they stopped this child?!

"It was then that I realized," Ansei continued as if Boruto wasn't even there, "that I was blaming the wrong people. Sure, the Hyuuga were terrible, and cruel, but I found that they were like a child that would throw a tantrum and break his own toys whenever he didn't get what he wanted. He would scream and hurt people whenever he was told no, so the parents eventually stopped telling the child no… Can you then blame the child for acting like that?" Ansei snapped, staring at Boruto now. The blonde shook his head slowly, shaking slightly.

"No, you can't!" Ansei continued. "It's the parents' fault for not disciplining their child! The child was allowed to get away with his actions without consequences! You can't punish a child for the mistakes of their parents! It's the parents that have to be punished!" He nodded. "I had finally found my purpose. Konoha would no longer let children fall through the cracks; to feel unloved, unwanted, and forsaken!"

Boruto swallowed hard and gripped the grass beneath him. Ansei, it seemed, had wanted to get this off his chest, and who better than a stranger who couldn't run because of a leg injury? Boruto bit his bottom lip. How much did anyone know about the extent of Ansei's abuse? They hadn't even treated him like he was a monster; they had treated him like he didn't exist. They had let this child's mind fester in hatred this long…

"It was then I realized that my purpose wasn't to save the Hyuuga Clan as the elders have told me my whole life," Ansei whispered, ending in the same tone he had started. "It was to punish the parents and bring Konoha to its knees… and then rebuild it from the ashes…"

 _Author's note: Story time is over! Yay! Sorry this chapter was so wordy…_


	7. Hate

_Author's Note: I spent all weekend writing! I am super motivated to write for some reason! Or maybe I was just procrastinating on my teacher certification stuff… Don't get used to such rapid updates..._

 _Chapter Seven: Hate_

"So… You want to become Hokage?" Boruto asked hopefully, though he wasn't sure that's what the Hyuuga meant.

Ansei shrugged. "You could say that," he muttered softly. Boruto bit his bottom lip and sighed.

"Well, I'm really sorry," he whispered. Boruto wasn't sure how to react to what he had just been told. He stood and limped away from the Hyuuga. "Hey, Ansei," he said after getting a few feet away.

"Hm?"

"If you need to talk, or anything, I'll be here." Maybe a hint of kindness would help the poor child.

Ansei smiled at Boruto. "Thanks."

Boruto went back to his place beside his sister, but sleep still didn't come to him. The group was up and moving at the break of dawn, but their pace was slow considering they had someone with an injury. "I'll carry you," Sarada whispered as she fell back to walk beside Boruto.

"I'm fine. I want you to keep an eye on Himawari. I want to make sure she'll be safe… no matter what happens to me."

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Sarada snapped. Boruto didn't answer her. He dragged his leg behind him. Hinata hadn't had the time or energy to heal the wound completely and now it was starting to burn a little. "Boruto," Sarada whispered. "Nothing is going to happen to you, okay?"

Boruto grunted in response. He turned to look at Ansei. The boy's story haunted the child. What kind of world did they live in that would treat a child as if he were nothing more than an object? What kind of powers did Ansei possess to back up his threats and dreams? Boruto wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

The boy yelped as he was lifted from behind. "Alright, kiddo, you're slowing us down," Naruto said with a smile. He placed Boruto on his back. The boy pouted and Sarada giggled at him.

"I don't need your help," Boruto grumbled, but he didn't feel like fighting. He didn't sleep at all the night before. Instead, he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder with a long sigh.

"Don't need my help, hm?" Naruto teased. Boruto grunted in response. "You're a funny kid."

"You have no idea," Boruto whispered sleepily. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a light sleep.

His peaceful moments were interrupted by the sound of harsh voices. Boruto didn't open his eyes, but he recognized the angry tone of his father and the softer tone as Minato. _They must be arguing,_ Boruto thought. He decided to try and get back to sleep. The midday sun was keeping him warm enough.

"I want you to understand," Minato was saying.

"I do understand," Naruto snapped quietly as to not wake up the child on his back.

"No, I don't think you do, Naruto," Minato countered. "I want you to understand why we had to do all of this."

"You were preventing a war or something," Naruto answered. Boruto felt the man shrug beneath him. "I get it."

"No, you don't! You're still mad at me."

"Of course I am, dad!" Naruto growled. "Am I supposed to forgive you?"

"That would be nice," Minato grumbled.

"I'll think about it."

Boruto suppressed a giggle at Naruto. _I guess I am a lot like my dad,_ he thought.

"In all seriousness, Naruto, I really am sorry about it all," Minato continued. Naruto scoffed. "Don't give me that, son," the older man snapped softly. "If you would just listen-"

"Listen?!" Naruto snapped suddenly. Boruto didn't move. "You want me to listen to you? Why should I?"

"Because I'm your father."

"Some father you are…" Naruto grumbled. "And some Hokage. You and Obito were morons!" Naruto shook his head. "I can't, dad… I just can't believe you were part of this! You lied to me and mom about all of this and you sacrificed a child for this!"

Minato sighed. "We sacrificed one child's happiness for the life of the village, Naruto, and I can't apologize for that. Do you want me to show remorse for it?"

"I want you to show something." Naruto hissed.

"I'm sorry about what I did to you and your mother, but I'm not sorry about what I did to Ansei," Minato answered truthfully. "War is ugly, Naruto. Politics are even uglier. I won't apologize for a choice we made that prevented what could have been a Civil War, but I _will_ apologize for lying to you about it."

"Too little, too late," Naruto snapped suddenly.

Boruto stiffened. "What?" Minato asked.

"You want my forgiveness, don't you?"

Boruto tried to stop the tears in his eyes. He recognized the condescending and hateful tone in Naruto's voice…

" _Uzumaki Boruto!" Naruto shouted at the bottom of the stairs. "Get down here!"_

 _Boruto groaned and walked to the landing at the top of the stairs. "What?" he growled._

" _Don't you dare 'what' me!" Naruto snapped. "Get down here!"_

 _Boruto scoffed and walked two steps down the stairs before stopped. Naruto narrowed his eyes._ Good. He's mad, _Boruto thought with a smirk._

" _I told you to come down here!"_

" _Yeah, I heard you," Boruto said with a shrug. "What do you want?"_

" _I want you to walk down these stairs," Naruto answered. Boruto had never seen his father this angry, and he felt somewhat bad about what he had done, but it_ had _to be done! If being blasted perfect wasn't going to get his father's attention, then being the opposite might. Boruto walked a few more steps down the stairs. Naruto's eyes widened. "Boruto!" he shouted._

 _Boruto walked down the rest of the steps and stood in front of his father, looking up at him with a deadpan expression on his face, trying to show that he wasn't afraid to face the consequences of what he had done. "I thought I raised you better than this," Naruto said finally._

 _Boruto shrugged. "I'm sorry, are you raising me?" he asked. He almost flinched when Naruto lifted his hand; not to slap him, just to silence him._

" _I don't want your attitude right now," Naruto snapped._

 _Boruto laughed. "Then go do paperwork or something! I bet I'm talking to a clone right now, anyway!"_

" _No, son, you aren't."_

It worked! _Boruto thought happily. He finally had his father's undivided attention. It only took some drastic measures._

" _Why did you do this?" Naruto asked._

 _Boruto crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the stairs with a shrug. "Because I thought it would be fun."_

"Fun?!" _Naruto shouted. This time Boruto_ did _flinch. It had only been a simple prank, hadn't it? "You thought that was fun? You have no idea what you've done, do you?!" Naruto shook his head. "I can't believe you! I'm disappointed in you, Boruto!"_

" _Disappointed?!" Boruto countered, suddenly angry and scared. Had the prank gone wrong? Why was his dad acting like he had murdered someone? "You don't get to be disappointed in me!"_

" _Excuse me?" Naruto growled._

" _You don't get to be disappointed in me when you're never proud of me!" Boruto shouted. "I did this because being so damn perfect wasn't enough for you!"_

" _Boruto…" Naruto reached to touch his son's shoulder. Boruto pulled away violently, throwing Naruto's hand away._

" _NO! You don't get to act like a father now!" Boruto shouted. He was shaking. Naruto was no longer angry at him. How bad it all gone? Was someone actually hurt? "You don't get to pick and choose when you're my dad! You're not allowed to ignore everything I do right and then when I go and do something like_ this _you are suddenly my father again! It doesn't work like that! Why did you even have kids?!"_

 _Naruto bit his bottom lip and sighed. "Boruto… I need to know what you did," he said._

" _Don't change the subject! You don't want to talk about it!"_

" _This isn't about us!" Naruto shouted suddenly. Boruto shrank back. "I need to know who helped you do this!"_

 _Boruto shook his head. "No! We're talking about this!"_

" _Not right now!"_

" _Then when?! When I'm your age and we haven't spoken in ten years?!" Boruto shouted, tears soaking his cheeks._

" _This isn't about_ us!"

" _It needs to be!"_

 _Naruto threw a punch. Boruto let out a loud shout as his father's fist impacted the wall above him. "Boruto, this is more important than that! You put a lot of people in danger today and I need to know who else was involved in your little prank!"_

 _Boruto glared at his father. It didn't matter what he did, did it? The village_ always _came first! He could vanish off the face of the earth and his father would be more concerned about Konoha losing a precious prodigy than he would about actually losing his son. "So, that's it, is it?" Boruto asked. "Fine! I—"_

"—hate you!" Naruto shouted.

Boruto jumped. He had missed the argument that had escalated to that final shout. Boruto turned to Minato. He hadn't stayed to see Naruto's face after he had yelled those final words, but seeing Minato's nearly broken expression physically hurt Boruto. Naruto moved away from his father with Boruto on his back.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered as she came up beside them. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Naruto scoffed. Sakura bowed her head, knowing that Naruto was as stubborn as mule. "Hinata says we should stop for the night. There's a village not far from here and at this pace we aren't going to make it to Konoha before nightfall anyway."

"Fine," Naruto muttered.

"Naruto," Sakura said. Boruto wanted to stop their interaction.

 _She isn't who you're meant to be with!_ Boruto wanted to shout.

Naruto sighed and turned to Sakura, smiling sadly. "I'll apologize to him later," he agreed finally. "I'll let him stew with those words for now."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Sakura said. She smiled and kissed Naruto on the cheek. Boruto dropped off of Naruto's back, shouting as his leg hit the ground.

"H-hey!" Naruto said. "Don't hurt yourself, kid! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Boruto snapped. Sarada and Himawari rushed to his side.

"Brother," Himawari whimpered softly. Boruto smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry about me," he told her. He stood and went to lift his sister in his arms, but Sarada stopped him.

"Don't. You'll only hurt yourself." Boruto sighed.

"The village isn't far," Sakura assured them.

"Thanks." Sarada said with a smile.

"I'll walk to rest of the way." He turned to Minato. The man looked completely lost. Boruto's shoulders dropped. _I'm sorry, dad…_ he thought.

The group stayed in silence until they reached the small merchant village. As they walked through the streets to the inn where they would be staying, Boruto looked around them. It was a poor village. Some kids ran up to them, holding their hands out for anything that could be given. Boruto frowned. The kids were skinny and their pale skin could hardly be seen beneath the layer of filth on their bodies.

Boruto turned to the others in the group as they shooed off some of the kids. Sakura reached into her pouch and deposited a few coins in a couple of the kids' hands. Those who got some ran off with their offerings. Boruto looked at Hinata, who was offering a few pieces of food to some of the children. Boruto stiffened as two of the children ran up to Ansei. The image of the Hyuuga strangling his classmate flashed through the Uzumaki's mind. Surely pestering children would be enough to make the unstable Hyuuga angry.

Ansei stopped and knelt before both of the kids with a biggest smile Boruto had seen on his face. He reached into his pouch and handed them a few ninja tools that could be sold, some soldier pills and coins. He also wiped some dirt off the younger child's face, revealing a long cut that looked fairly new. Ansei did some handsigns and his hands began to glow with a gentle blue glow. He placed a hand over the cut, mending the flesh.

Boruto's eyes widened. _Wow…_ he thought with a soft smile. He suddenly felt lightheaded and dropped to the ground, but the smile never left his face.

* * *

Taiyaki sat with his legs swinging back and forth as they healed Boruto's leg. It seemed he had lost too much blood and then had been ignoring the signs that he needed medical attention. _He's a weird one…_ Tai thought with a shrug.

He sighed and fell onto the bed in the room with a soft _oof._ "What are you doing?" Sarada asked. Tai blushed suddenly and rolled over to avoid her gaze.

"N-nothing," he stammered. Sarada sighed and sat on the bed with the boy. "How's your friend?"

"Boruto? Oh, he gave us a scare, but Hinata-san says he'll be okay."

"That's good!" Tai said with a smile.

"Yeah…"

"Do you… like him?" Tai asked awkwardly. Sarada flinched slightly, then turned to the boy with a smile.

"He's all I've got right now," she said. "I wouldn't say we're exactly close… Our parents grew up together, though, so I guess we're almost like cousins."

"It must be nice," Tai muttered.

"Surely you have friends."

Tai shrugged. "I do, but not any really close friends."

Sarada turned to the boy. "Why's that? You seem pretty nice."

Tai looked at the Uchiha for a moment before turning away. "I guess it's because Ansho kind of thinks she runs everything… She's basically been tormenting me since I can remember… But that's okay!" He added with a quick smile. "I still have a good family, and a handful of friends that makes it okay."

Sarada smiled along with the boy. "That's good!" she said. "You shouldn't let the words of others get to you."

"Yeah…"

Sarada stood from the bed and yawned. "Well, I'm heading off to bed. Good night, Taiyaki."

"Night!" Tai called. He sighed once she had moved to another room in the inn.

"What kind of sigh is that?" Sakura asked from the doorway.

"Hm?" Tai said with a start.

Sakura smiled and sat down beside her son. "She's very nice."

"Mom!" Tai cried, blushing. "She's an Uchiha!"

"So?" Sakura asked.

"I'm too young to think about that stuff anyway."

Sakura hugged the boy tightly, pulling him into her lap. "That you are."

Tai leaned against his mother and sighed. "It seems like everything is falling apart, mom," he whimpered.

"I know…" Sakura whispered. She hugged the boy tightly and rocked him. "I know it seems scary, but nothing's going to change, don't worry!"

"How can you be so optimistic?" Tai asked sleepily.

"Because I know that things get hard, but they can always get better, so don't you worry about it."

Tai nodded and closed his eyes, falling asleep against his mother.

When day came, the group continued on their way. The rest of the trip was done in silence, save for Boruto speaking with his group, and occasionally Ansei when the aloof Hyuuga would let them have a conversation with him. Tai stayed close to his parents for the remainder of the trip and Minato kept on eye on the group from the back, talking with Hinata and Neji about one thing or another.

Tai was happy to be back in the village when they arrived. Boruto was taken directly to the hospital while Hinata went with Naruto and Minato to discuss where the kids would be placed. Ansei returned the Hyuuga compound with Neji, even though Hinata had wanted him to stay with her, and Sakura had to go to the academy to get her job squared away now that she didn't need the time off anymore. Tai was left alone for the rest of the day. He debated on going home, but decided against the idea. There was nothing to do at home anyway, so the boy went about heading towards the training fields. He stopped when he noticed Ansho and her cell in the fields as well. Taiyaki sighed deeply, deciding that training wasn't worth being harassed by the other Hyuuga.

 _Darn the Hyuuga,_ Taiyaki thought angrily. _All they do is cause trouble! They're why dad and granddad are fighting! And why that kid got hurt!_ He frowned and turned to leave.

"Well, if it isn't fish-bun!" Ansho called.

"Knock it off," the Nara kid groaned softly.

"Yeah, Ansho, we should just keep on training," the other grumbled.

Ansho shook her head and walked over to the smaller child. She grabbed his arm and he let out a soft yelp. There would have been no point in running, anyway. "What are you doing back?" the Hyuuga hissed. "You and my little cousin weren't supposed to be back for a few weeks." She gripped his arm tighter. "What happened?"

"N-nothing!" Taiyaki whimpered. Sakura had told him that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about what he had seen during their mission, not even the Hokage.

"Something obviously happened! What was it?"

"Ansho, leave him alone…"

"Why should I?"

"Why do you hate my family so much?" Taiyaki snapped, trying to change the subject from the mission to the girl's own problems.

Ansho scoffed and shoved the boy to the ground. "I don't need to answer your questions!"

"And I don't need to answer yours! The mission got cancelled, that's all I know," Tai lied quickly.

"Look, I don't want any part of this," the Nara groaned. He started walking away, grabbing the other boy as he left. Taiyaki sighed. Those two were just as afraid of Ansho as he was, it seemed, if not more.

Ansho smiled once her teammates were gone. She grabbed the boy's salmon colored clothes and yanked him to his feet. "You want to tell me what really happened during the mission?" she asked.

"Nothing happened!" Taiyaki insisted. _And even if it did, what business is it of yours anyway?_ He added silently.

"They don't just cancel a month long mission out of the blue unless something happened! What was it? Did it have to do with Ansei?"

"No, it didn't," Taiyaki snapped. "I got sick, okay? They had to go home!"

Ansho narrowed her eyes. She punched the boy in the belly, causing him to double over in pain. "Nice try, but if you had gotten sick, the whole mission wouldn't have been canceled. You would have been sent home with your mom. So, what happened?"

"It doesn't matter!" Tai snapped. That earned him another punch, this time in the face. He stumbled back, dazed for a moment.

"It does matter!" Ansho snapped. "Was it Ansei?"

"Why do you care so much?" Tai asked. That, again, earned him another punch to the face.

This went on for several more minutes. Eventually Taiyaki tried to fight against his attacker, but she was relentless in her interrogation. Tai remembered thinking that she would be great for the interrogation and torture division of the village. Eventually he dropped to his knees, coughing and spitting blood. Why did she care so much?

 _I have to tell her something,_ he thought desperately. _Mom said I can't tell anyone anything I saw on the mission… Surely she only meant what Ansei did. Why would they care so much about the other kids? Maybe the Hyuuga don't know they have a Jinchuuriki in their midst… That has to be it!_

He sighed, relenting. "Fine… Remember those three kids I was with the other day?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the younger girl… she's a Hyuuga…"

"What?!" Ansho snapped. She grabbed Taiyaki's clothes again. "Are you sure?"

"She activated the Byakugan," Tai muttered. He was dropped back onto the ground. "I don't know about the boy, though. They're siblings, but he didn't use the Byakugan."

"Is that why the mission was canceled?"

"Yeah… I think so."

Ansho smiled before turning and walking away. Taiyaki sighed deeply. At least she was gone now. He felt his nose to see if she had broken it, but she hadn't. He would mark it down as a training accident so his parents wouldn't worry about him.

 _I'm sure it'll be okay,_ he thought. _What's the harm in letting the Hyuuga know about some other Hyuuga?_

* * *

 _There are Hyuuga in the village that aren't part of the clan…?_ Ansho thought as she walked towards the Hyuuga compound. Hiashi had asked her to figure out why the mission had been canceled so quickly. Apparently it hadn't been Ansei.

Ansho sighed deeply. She wasn't happy about ratting on some poor, lost kids, but if she came back with nothing, the elders wouldn't accept that. She walked into the Elder's room, bowing at the panel of Hyuuga who were discussing one thing or another.

"Have you found anything out, Ansho?" one of them asked.

The girl nodded. "I have…"

 _Author's Note: Oh no! What is to be done?!_


	8. What We Said

_Author's note: OMG! Another update? Too fast? Am I spoiling you guys? Well, don't get used to it. I haven't really been as busy as I thought I would be this week._

 _Chapter Eight: What We Said…_

Boruto felt sick to his stomach. Apparently the wound had already started getting infected and he was left tossing and turning in the hospital bed for a few days with a high fever. He vaguely remembered seeing Himawari and Sarada show up periodically during his visit, though neither of them had much to say. For a while, he stayed in a rather hazy and depressed dream world where he replayed the fight with his father over and over again. Sometimes the argument ended worse than it had in real life while other times it ended with them hugging and making up.

Now the dreams were gone, leaving his to stare silently up at the ceiling. "You gave us quite a scare…" Naruto grumbled from where he was sitting in the hospital room. For a moment, Boruto thought he was home and the entire ordeal had been nothing more than a nightmare. Surely he had only been injured while running away and the resulting events were only an illusion of his fever-filled mind.

"Like you care, dad," he muttered angrily.

"That's not the first time you've called me that," Naruto said quietly.

Boruto stiffened. It wasn't a dream after all. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," Naruto said, more firmly this time. "Any time you were semi-lucid during your fever and I was here, you spoke to me like I was your father… and you spoke of the Hokage and the Chuunin Exams… and the academy. You know a lot more than you're letting on."

Boruto sighed deeply. Would now be the perfect time to tell them?

"Actually, we do have a lot of things to discuss, Boruto," Naruto said after a few minutes of silence.

It was then that Boruto realized that he was in a room with bars on the window and he couldn't feel his own chakra. He sat up, only to find that his arm was chained to the bed. "What's going on?" he squeaked fearfully. "Where's my sister and Sarada?"

"They're safe… for now," Naruto answered.

"You tell me what you've done with them!" Boruto shouted.

Naruto stayed seated. "Calm down," he said firmly, but quietly. "You've been out for almost a week. The infection had spread quicker than we thought it would, but you'll be fine. You see… We had to draw some blood to make certain we knew your blood type, and I ordered a DNA test on you…"

Boruto's blood ran cold.

"How are _you_ possible?" Naruto asked.

Boruto bowed his head. "Have you told anyone?" Boruto asked.

"I have not. How can I? You're existence here is physically impossible… I'm assuming you're blood related to that other girl." Boruto nodded. "And the Uchiha… Is she really an Uchiha?" Boruto nodded slowly. "Whose child is she?"

"Sakura and Sasuke…" Boruto answered quietly. He was shaking. If no one else knew, why was he being chained to his bed? Where had they taken the other two?

"So, do you want to explain what you are?" Naruto asked.

Boruto bit his lip. "What else did you find?" he asked, trying to change the subject. How was he supposed to explain this? This wasn't possible!

"Trace amounts of the fox's chakra," Naruto answered. "Implying that one of your parents were a Jinchuuriki. I should have seen it sooner! We're so similar!"

Boruto bowed his head, staring at the sheets. "Am I a prisoner?" he asked after regaining his composure.

"For now, yes," Naruto answered with regret.

"But why?! Because of my parents?

"Your parents haven't said kind words to each other in years! I've never been with anyone other than Sakura! You are an impossibility!"

"But I'm sitting right here!" Boruto shouted. "I want to go home!" He fell back onto the bed with a loud sob. Naruto made no move to comfort the child as he cried into the hospital sheets. Boruto knew the man had no connection to the blonde boy in the bed. Boruto understood that this man wasn't his father, but crying alone with someone who could only be described as his father was almost too much to handle. "Where's Himawari!"

"I can't tell you that," Naruto answered.

"Yes you can! Where is she?!"

"Boruto… You aren't in here, chained to a bed with bars and seals on the window to keep you in," Naruto explained. "It's to keep _them_ out…"

"Them?" Boruto repeated.

"The Hyuuga," Naruto answered. "They've found out that you and your sister have Hyuuga blood in you."

Boruto's eyes widened. "Where is Himawari?" he gasped.

"She's in a safe house with Hinata."

"Why are we still in the village?" Boruto asked suddenly. "We have to get out!"

"We can't," Naruto said calmly.

"What do you mean?!"

"The village is under martial law… No one is to come in or out. Our gates have been shut. Anyone leaving the village will be branded for treason and treated like a traitor."

Boruto closed his eyes tightly. This wasn't happening! "What's going on?" he asked.

"The Sound have made some very interesting threats," Naruto answered quietly. "And apparently they know a lot more about the village than they should, meaning someone has been tipping them off… Now, you are in fact an impossibility in this world…naturally."

Boruto's eyes widened. "W-wait! Don't jump to any conclusions!"

"Orochimaru was arrested, before he left the village, on accounts of human experimentation, including fusing chakras in order to create artificially grown subjects."

"You think I'm one of Orochimaru's experiments?!" Boruto snapped, feeling sick all over again. He had to explain it… _All_ of it, or they would lose every right as human beings. "We're from an alternate reality!" Boruto gasped. It sounded even worse when said out loud, but he went with it. "We're from a dimension where you lost your parents as a child, and you are the Jinchuuriki and Obito was a maniac that tried to destroy everything, but you, Sakura and Sasuke saved the world, and you married Hinata after fighting some weird Tenseigan-weilding freak kidnapped Hanabi and took her to the moon—"The story was getting more and more ridiculous, but the child kept going, shaking all the while.

"Then you and Hinata got married and had me, and we were once really close, and you guys had Himawari and everything was great for a while, then you became Hokage, after Himawari knocked you out, but you weren't angry at her for some reason, then you started ignoring me, and I started resenting you, then I went and did something stupid and dumb, and I'm sorry!" Boruto ended in a choked sob. "I'm so sorry…" he cried softly. "This is all my fault!"

Naruto stared at the child for a long moment, watching him cry in his hands, sobbing loudly, almost uncontrollably. The boy wasn't even aware of it. He was still screaming in his head about how stupid he had been and how he wished he had never done what he did and gotten them all into this mess. The last words he had said to his father was 'I hate you' and he couldn't shake the feeling that those were the last words Naruto would ever hear from his son.

After what seemed like hours, even though it was only a few minutes, Naruto moved to the bed. He sat down on the edge and looked at the mess of a child on it. There was no getting around the fact that this boy wasn't natural in this world. Naruto placed a hand on the child's back. Boruto stiffened for just a moment, acknowledging the touch, but not truly reacting to you. "You're scared, aren't you?" Naruto asked. Boruto nodded. "Why?"

"Because," he choked, "this isn't my home… you aren't my dad and now the village thinks we're a bunch of traitors and artificial creatures!"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the boy's back absently. The poor thing was a wreck, and was only getting worse. "You aren't from the sound, are you?" Naruto asked. Boruto shook his head. "I didn't think so. I will let you see your sister and tell Obito that there's no reason to be frightened of you three."

"You'll keep our secret?" Boruto asked, his eyes wide.

Naruto smiled widely. "Of course. You're my son, aren't you?"

* * *

"The children belong to us!" Hiashi snapped at Hinata as she knelt before the panel of elders.

"The children belong to no one!" Hinata countered.

"Their birthright is to be part of this clan!"

"As slaves!" Hinata growled. "You would have them sealed! Or killed, or worse! What's the harm in letting two children with Hyuuga blood be allowed to roam free?"

"If you have to ask that question, then I didn't raise you right," Hiashi said. "They pose a threat to our line. The Byakugan has been guarded for centuries and these half-blooded abominations must be taken care of!"

"They must be sealed," another elder chimed in.

"Their eyes must be taken!" a third called.

"And they must be made sterile to prevent the further perversion of our pure blood-line!"

"They are _children!"_ Hinata shouted.

"I don't know why she's even part of this meeting," the oldest of the group said. "Last time I checked, Hinata was not part of our clan anymore."

"Ansei is a half-blood," Hinata pointed out, ignoring the comment of the elder. "And yet you still want him."

"Ansei is a special case…" Hiashi reasoned.

"And we have taken care of him," the other elder said. "His line will stop with him. He is forbidden to have children."

"But he'll raise my nephew's children," Hinata grumbled. The sickly child had no name, save for the one pet name Ansei had given him.

"We aren't here to discuss them," Hiashi said. "You should not be part of this choice, Hinata. I know that you cannot leave the village due to the threat, but it might be best if you stay out of the dealings of the Hyuuga from now on."

"What are you going to do with them?" Hinata asked.

"The boy must be killed," Hiashi answered evenly. "Since the girl has an awakened Byakugan, she might prove useful, but the boy is talentless."

"Obito won't let you do this!" Hinata snapped. "He won't let you murder a child!" Hiashi sighed deeply and waved his hand. They had no counter for that one, it seemed. Hinata smirked and turned. "You'll never find the kids," she snapped.

"Child, that should be the least of your worries," Hiashi snapped. Hinata stormed out of the room. Naruto was with Boruto, keeping constant watch over him, and Sakura had Himawari and Sarada, but for how long? How long could they keep the kids safe from the Hyuuga Clan?

Hinata didn't think it would be very long. The poor children would be unable to hide forever. She closed her eyes as she walked out of the compound. "Hinata!" Neji called, running towards her. She stopped.

"What do you want, Neji…?" Hinata snapped. She didn't feel like dealing with the other Hyuuga at the moment.

"I have to tell you something," Neji said, his voice getting much lower. "This attack by the Sound… it isn't what Obito thinks it is."

"Hm?"

"We are the traitors," Neji said quickly, his voice hardly audible. Hinata narrowed her eyes, but the ninja was gone in seconds. Hinata looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. She took off running. If what Neji said was true, then they didn't have much time. The Hyuuga were already on the move. _But why?_ She thought. _Why would they want this? Hasn't Konoha given them everything they wanted, and more?_

She shook her head. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she had to warn Obito about the Hyuuga's treachery. As she ran, she noticed that there were many members of the ANBU positioned throughout the village. It didn't mean much, considering they were under martial law, but Hinata didn't like the looks of them. Whenever she passed one, she felt the sense of being watched like a snake would watch a mouse.

The Hokage mansion had never seemed as far away as it did now. She wanted to warn everyone. The Hyuuga were a massive force to be feared. _But,_ she thought as she ran faster, _Hanabi wouldn't want this!_

She didn't bother with speaking to anyone as she rushed into the mansion and up the stairs. She flung the door open, calling the Hokage's name, but as she did, the explosions in the village started.

* * *

Boruto gasped when the first of the explosions tore the area near the hospital to bits. Naruto stood instantly and looked at the child. "I had no idea!" Boruto insisted, and Naruto nodded. They didn't have time to argue. "What's going on?"

"The Sound much be attacking!" Naruto snapped. He hurried to the bed and removed the chains from the boy's wrist. "Let's go! I'll take you to your sister." Boruto gripped Naruto's hand and Naruto turned to him. Boruto knew that it must be weird for the man to have a child he hardly knows anything about treat him like a father, but now that Naruto knew the truth, the man seemed to be taking it well. _He's probably in denial…_ Boruto concluded as they exited the room and went into the hall. _When this all calms down, he'll probably be finding all of this very strange and then not believe it._

The two exited the building and Naruto lifted Boruto onto his back. While, in this world, Naruto didn't have the fox to aid in his speed, he was still the son of the Yellow Flash and had inherited some of Minato's speed. The two ran through the village, but fighting hadn't seem to have started yet.

Boruto was from a time when attacks on the village weren't common place and peace was as stable as it could be. He gripped Naruto's shoulders tightly, terrified of what was happening. Naruto was calm, however, as they sped through the village, and his calm helped keep Boruto from freaking out.

Naruto came to a stop at what looked like a shack. Boruto felt the surge of chakra from within the room and his heart dropped. He dropped from Naruto's back, wincing at the pain in his leg. He hurried into the room and stopped dead in his tracks.

Inside the room was the cursed Hyuuga. Sarada was huddled on the floor with Sakura standing over her protectively. Boruto's whole body shook violently. Ansei was holding his sister in his hands. "Put her down!" Boruto screamed.

Ansei turned to Boruto with something like pain in his pale red, almost pink, eyes. "I cannot." Boruto clenched his fists angrily. "I have been told that I must bring her to the Hyuuga."

"What is going on here?" Naruto interjected angrily. "Ansei! What are you doing?"

The boy turned to his sensei and sighed. "It's a wonder no one saw this coming," he whispered calmly.

"What is this?" Naruto demanded.

"A Coup d'état," Ansei answered with a shrug.

"Put my sister down," Boruto growled, stepping in front of Naruto. " _Now."_

"I cannot," Ansei repeated. He looked down at the unconscious child in his arms. "She is quite extraordinary… To have such control over the Byakugan and raw power at such a young age… It's truly remarkable."

"Put her down and walk away, and I won't hurt you," Boruto hissed angrily.

"I'm not afraid off you."

"And I'm not afraid of you," Boruto snapped.

"The difference is that you _should_ be," Ansei answered evenly. "I'm sorry, sensei… I didn't want to have to kill you." The glowing boy lunged at them, but passed between Naruto and Boruto, fleeing the safe house with the girl in his arms. Boruto was quick to follow, tearing after his kidnapped sister as the world fell apart around them.

Ansei had Boruto beat on speed and before long, another Hyuuga showed up to take the child from their personal weapon. Once Himawari was out of his hands, Ansei spun around to face Boruto. While Ansei lunged at his new target, Naruto ran passed them and continued the chase for the kidnapped child.

Boruto dodged Ansei quickly and rolled out of his way. A single tail wagged behind the Hyuuga's body. "Ansei! I don't understand!" Boruto shouted. "What's the meaning of all of this?! Why so much destruction! This isn't what you wanted, is it?"

Ansei sighed as he reached for a weapon. "No, it is not… But, unfortunately, my life is not my own, I belong solely to the Hyuuga Clan and remain loyal to them, if only by force."

"But what about reforming Konoha?!" Boruto snapped. "What about making sure no child is ever hurt as you were?"

"I have no love for Konoha… You know this."

"Yeah, but these people are innocent!"

"Who determines innocence?" Ansei asked. He sighed as he threw the kunai at Boruto, who dodged it expertly.

 _What is he doing? This can't be stalling,_ Boruto thought, keeping his eyes trained on the other boy. _He's not even toying with me… Maybe he doesn't want to do this._

But his thoughts were interrupted as Ansei lunged again, this time swiping for the kill. Boruto jumped back, landing on his hands and pushing away in order to get more distance. "If I use clones, he'll just be able to see which one is real," Boruto hissed under his breath. He didn't want to hurt Ansei, but he also had to end this fight quickly. Naruto might be able to handle the Hyuuga in their world, but he didn't know the strength and abilities of this Naruto.

Boruto sighed and glared the Jinchuuriki, who stood there with a blank expression on his face. Boruto held out his hand. He would end this ask quickly as possible. A blue ball of chakra began to form in the palm of his hand. Ansei watched with mild interest. _Guess it's a thing in this world too. He doesn't seem interested in the jutsu at all…_

Ansei stood as Boruto rushed at him with the attack, seemingly uninterested in this fight. At the last second, the boy moved with such speed that Boruto was disoriented for a moment. The attack came from his side. A blast of chakra sent him flying into a building across the street. The Rasengan destroyed the wall. Ansei was on top of him in a second, but what he was attacking was a clone. During the resulting explosion, Boruto had created and switched himself out with a clone, fooling the Hyuuga for just a moment.

Ansei spun around just as Boruto slammed a Rasengan in the Jinchuuriki's side. Ansei went flying, but Boruto went after him, creating a clone to propel him forward. He had Ansei on defense now. He had to end this quickly if he didn't want to end this. Surely the Hyuuga were planning on using Ansei as a weapon against the village. _But what if I have to kill him?_ Boruto thought. He shook his head. His sister and his village were more important.

He landed in front of Ansei and jumped forward, lighting sparking from his hands. He would end this quick. He slammed his glowing hand onto Ansei's stomach. The Hyuuga screamed, but Boruto didn't let up. He grabbed a kunai and sank the weapon into the other boy's flesh, shuddering slightly. He created a final attack that would knock the other boy and stepped forward, ready to end this…

But as he placed his leg on the ground, it gave way. Boruto cursed as pain shot through his body, disrupting his chakra flow. The small Rasengan in his hand sputtered and died. Ansei took advantage of the momentary loss of control that Boruto experienced. The boy reached a glowing hand towards Boruto and gripped his ankle, severing the tendons in the joint. Boruto screamed. His vision faded into white and he howled in pain as he stepped back, holding his injured and useless leg in the air.

The foot shook violently. He gingerly tried to put weight on it, but it wouldn't hold. He felt hot tears fall down his cheeks. Ansei stood and Boruto jumped slightly. His attacks seemed to have little effect on the boy. The places where his dark clothing had been ripped showed that the injuries on his skin were superficial and were already healing. _He's a medical ninja…_ Boruto thought with dismay.

Ansei sighed deeply, his glowing tail flicking angrily behind him. "You're good," he said nonchalantly. "But I can see that you aren't exactly "field" ready, to be honest. This isn't some game anymore, kid. I don't know where you learned your jutsu and I can tell that you are extraordinary… But that won't help you unless you have experience."

"Thanks for the advice," Boruto hissed through clenched teeth.

Ansei shrugged. "I deeply apologize for this," he muttered. Boruto narrowed his eyes. From the story he had been told, Ansei was a sleeping dragon; usually calm and collected, but hiding a rage that couldn't be quelled. _What will happen if he unleashes that rage?_

Ansei lunged at Boruto. The Uzumaki quickly jumped out of the way, but was clumsy, only having one good leg. He did a back flip to get away, landing unsteadily on his good leg, but Ansei wasn't letting up this time. He changed directions and slammed into Boruto the second after he touched the ground. Boruto rolled with the attack and kicked out at Ansei, connecting his bad foot with the other boy's jaw. Boruto bit back a yelp of pain as he kicked again with his good foot, focusing chakra on his foot so that Ansei went flying through the air.

Like a cat, Ansei flipped in the air, landing on all fours and then lunged back at the Uzumaki. Boruto reached back and through his hand onto Ansei's chest, forcing chakra into his body, but without the Byakugan, the attack missed anything vital, but it unbalanced Ansei, who wasn't expecting a Gentle Fist attack from someone without the Byakugan. Boruto took advantage of it and jumped into the air for a round kick, but the attack was stopped as Ansei grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground, cracking it beneath the force of the attack. Blood came out of Boruto's mouth with a violent cough.

Ansei stood over him, taking a kunai and stabbing him in the belly once… twice… and again, this time in the chest, piercing a lung. Ansei stared down at the boy. "I was ordered to kill you…" he muttered. Boruto coughed, unable to respond.

 _Why?_ He wanted to scream.

"But… This isn't your full strength. You were in the hospital for a week." Ansei shrugged.

 _You're point?_ Boruto thought as he coughed again, nearly drowning in the blood that came up.

Ansei squatted beside the boy and sighed deeply. "I want to fight you at your full strength. However, you're weak in the field… You're soft. You could have killed me, but you aimed for my side instead of a vital. This is a world of ninja, where you can't show mercy."

 _Thanks for the tip, psychopath,_ Boruto thought bitterly. "Finish… it…" he gasped.

"Don't act brave. You're terrified. Is this truly the first time you've stared death in the face?" Boruto elected not to answer, but that was answer enough. "I won't kill you."

"W-why?" Boruto managed to get out. Ansei stood and started walking away. "Why?" Boruto called weakly, but a little louder.

Ansei stopped for a moment, bowing his head as the power of the fox overtook him. "Because you can stop me…" and with that, he disappeared into the village.

Boruto stared up at the sky after the Jinchuuriki left. He played the fight again and again in his head. Ansei was right. He should have won, but in a moment of weakness, he had aimed lower when he was originally aiming for the other boy's neck.

Boruto blinked, slowly realizing that it was becoming hard to keep his eyes open. The sky above him blurred, though he wasn't sure if it was because of tears or blood. Boruto laughed slightly. _I'm so sorry, dad…_ he prayed.

"Boruto!"

The blonde hardly recognized the voice. Sarada slid to her knees beside him, tears in her eyes. He felt her healing chakra on his wounds, but her worried cries were distant. _This isn't what I wanted,_ Boruto thought sadly. He bit his lip and turned to Sarada. She smiled at him, trying to reassure the child. "Sarada…"

"Don't you start trying for last words," the Uchiha teased.

Boruto returned her smile for a moment to show that he wasn't dying yet. "I want to go home," he whimpered softly. Sarada stared down at him for a moment before turning back to her work on healing the injuries. She left the words to hang in the air… Boruto closed his eyes, knowing what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry…" Boruto whispered.

 _Author's note: No, that wasn't the epic fight of epicness. I've also had a lot of time to write this week for some reason. Again, do not get used to these rapid updates… It'll be slowing down soon! Hope you enjoyed this one!_


	9. The Things We Left Unsaid…

_Author's note: So… someone gave me an interesting idea… And I'm introducing the possibility of it happening to see the reaction. You know who you are._

 _Chapter Nine: The Things We Left Unsaid…_

 _World One_

 _Present Day_

Naruto hadn't slept since the kids went missing. He sat at his desk with piles of paperwork growing with each passing day, but the thought of continuing his work as if nothing happened made him sick. It was the middle of the night. The kids had been gone for over a week with no sign of them or the maker of the mysterious metal Sharingan. Naruto's hand shook with both exhaustion and the adrenaline that was making him more and more stressed as the days wore on.

On the outside, the villagers hadn't really realized there was something wrong. Naruto had been able to keep up appearances during the day, but at night, he was a wreck. Sakura had visited ever day she wasn't out on a mission to search for them. Hinata was as much of a wreck as Naruto was, and would often find solace in her family when she wasn't finding solace in Naruto.

For the first time since he had been married, Naruto felt the bitter sting of being alone. Hinata wasn't exactly leaving him to grieve alone, but he knew that when he couldn't be around, she had a family to go to. Sakura had one as well, but Naruto didn't have a family to find comfort in. Hinata understood his loneliness, but Naruto couldn't expect her to fully be able to understand the depth of that loneliness…

And it was that loneliness that kept him up at night. Hinata was on a mission with Sakura, Kiba and Shino to try and find more information. Naruto couldn't leave due to the fact that this wasn't a national security issue; it was private and personal and he couldn't abandon the village in order to go and try to find his children. The house was quiet… and not that comforting silence that came after the shouting children had left and he was finally alone to work on the paperwork. This silence was uncomfortable and sad, like the silence in the house he had lived in his whole life.

Naruto stared out the window at the city lights beneath his office. He bit his lip, tears clouding his eyes. He felt utterly useless. They hadn't been able to get a hold of Sasuke and a hawk had been sent a few days ago, letting him know that his daughter was missing. The only clue they had was the metal Sharingan that meant nothing without context.

"Naruto!" an angry voice shouted as the doors to his office swung open. Naruto turned around to see a familiar, yet very angry, face staring back at him. He quickly wiped his eyes.

"Good evening, Sasuke," the man muttered. Sasuke clenched his fists.

"How could you let this happen?!" Sasuke shouted

Naruto flinched at the accusing tone in his friend's voice. "My kids are gone too," he snapped weakly.

"Exactly!" Sasuke growled. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Naruto answered truthfully as he stood from his desk. He hadn't expected Sasuke to come rushing home so quickly, but he figured it wasn't a stretch. Despite being away from the village so much, Sasuke loved his family; probably more than Naruto did at times.

"Well, what was the last thing that happened between you and your kids?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

Naruto looked down at the picture of him and Boruto he kept on his desk and sighed. Their final moments were ones he wished he could do again. He had been furious at Boruto; but not only angry, terrified for the child as well. Boruto was in more trouble than the child realized and Naruto had been unable to properly convey the severity of the situation when Boruto had confessed to doing it not because he was trying to be mean, but because he wanted his dad to look at him.

"We fought," was all Naruto said about the incident.

"Of course," Sasuke groaned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto snapped.

"You should have saw this coming, but you were always unable to see something that was right in front you! Where did you lose the chakra trail? We'll start from there!"

"There is none," Naruto grumbled as he leaned against his desk.

"What?"

"There is no chakra trail," Naruto repeated through clenched teeth. "They're gone, Sasuke."

"Gone?!" Naruto nodded. "What do you mean by that? You can't sense what direction they went?"

"No," Naruto said simply as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "They're gone… without a trace."

"That's impossible!" Sasuke snapped.

"Their chakra vanishes about two kilometers outside the village gates."

"So they were running away," Sasuke observed.

"Yeah! This is all my fault!" Naruto screamed. "Don't you think I know that?! I don't need you to come in here and tell me what I already know!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What have you found?"

Naruto stood and motioned Sasuke to follow him. They walked through the silent streets. It was that time of night where it was late enough for the drunks to have already stumbled home, but it was too early for even the earliest of risers to start their day. Naruto led Sasuke into the ANBU compound where he had left Shikamaru to deal with the metal Sharingan. He opened the door to the science division and smiled at the Nara.

"Good morning, Naruto-sama," Shikamaru greeted, "and… Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded his greeting, which was met with a shrug from Shikamaru.

"Show him what we found."

Shikamaru walked to Sasuke and handed him the metal object. Sasuke picked it up and looked it over. "It's a Sharingan replica. What of it?"

"That's what we are trying to figure out," Shikamaru answered as he took the object from Sasuke. "See, here, it reacts to chakra." Shikamaru pushed chakra into his hand and through the object. The eye's pupil dilated in response.

Sasuke blinked. "Does it work?" he asked.

"We're not sure," Naruto answered. "But it was the only thing we found where their chakra disappeared. Using the eye leaves an unnatural chakra trail, like the one I felt when I was there. I had originally thought it was older because it was more faded, but this chakra fades faster than natural chakra."

"Then that must be it," Sasuke said. "And if we can get it to work again, then maybe we can get it to take us where it took the kids."

"That's what we're hoping," Shikamaru agreed. "It's a machine, you see, so it has set functions. It can only do what it's been built for, so if we could activate it again, then we might be able to use it to either bring them back here or go to where they are."

"We just can't figure out _how_ to activate," Naruto muttered.

"Yes, that is the most prominent issue at the moment."

"Then find the craftsman," Sasuke suggested.

"That is the _second_ most prominent issue," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "Whoever handled this before us left no trace of himself on it."

"Maybe it needs an Uchiha," Sasuke suggested, holding out his hand.

"I doubt that would make a difference, but here you go…" He handed it over to Sasuke again.

 _World II_

 _Present_

Boruto felt like the world around him was falling apart. How could one Clan cause so many problems and destruction? Sarada was working viciously on his wounds and he already felt his breathing getting easier, but as the time wore on, he felt her hands trembling. Like him, she had grown up with a relatively soft life and her battle training was extensive, but her experience was none.

Boruto reached up and grabbed her arm. "Stop. I can't carry you," he said quietly. "I'll be fine." He sat up to prove his point. Sarada looked at him and frowned slightly. "It's okay…"

She relented and helped him shakily to his feet. He didn't tell her about the torn tendons in his ankle. That injury seemed less pressing than his lung that had been filling with blood. He stood unsteadily on his single foot, barely placing the other on the ground.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Sarada muttered.

"I agree," Boruto nodded. They made their way slowly through the village. They could hear fighting around them, but their own little pocket of the village was quiet.

"Hey! You kids!" They froze in the spot. A man jumped in front of them. Boruto looked up at the dark-haired male with deep red eyes. He quickly looked away from the Sharingan. The man wore what looked like a dark gray jounin vest with black underneath. Instead of the Uzumaki symbol, however, it bore an Uchiha Clan symbol. The man knelt beside the children and looked at Boruto. "You poor thing," the man whispered. He turned to Sarada. "May I take your friend?" he asked gently. "He needs to get to a hospital."

Sarada nodded and the man lifted Boruto in his arms as gently as possible. "Name's Boruto, and that's Sarada," Boruto introduced. "Thanks for the help."

"It is my pleasure," the man said quietly. "My name is Uchiha Itachi." Sarada stopped walking. Boruto and Itachi turned to the youngest Uchiha. "Is something wrong, child?"

"N-no…" Sarada muttered. "It's just nice to meet you, is all." She smiled slightly and followed Itachi.

Itachi led them through the battle field that had once been Konoha. Boruto felt sick. _This is what dad is so afraid of,_ Boruto thought as they passed a dead body in the street. "Don't worry," Itachi said to the children. "This will all be quelled soon. The Police Force and the ANBU will make sure the Hyuuga are reminded that we are not their enemy. They will realize that it is not Konoha that should be fought. We are a village after all." He offered them a warm smile.

His smile faded as a rather large explosion happened not far from them and result of it was a blonde-haired man landing right in front of them. Minato stood shakily. Blood gushed from a gash on his head. He was gone a flash, but it wasn't long before he was back with a Hyuuga male running behind him. Itachi looked at Boruto and Sarada. "Your wounds will hold. This must be stopped before it goes on longer!"

He placed Boruto where the child would be safe and turned to Sarada. "Stay here with him." He smiled at her and patted her head. "I'll be back, I promise."

Boruto turned as Itachi ran into the field where Minto was fighting. He jumped behind Minato, standing back to back with him. "How many are there?" he asked.

"Itachi…" Minato sighed with a half-smile. "Not enough to be a problem, but Obito wouldn't want us killing our own villagers."

"If mercy is what you want, we're playing the wrong game," Itachi pointed out, but he didn't reach for a weapon. He coughed.

"Yeah, well, Obito's the Hokage, and not as blood thirsty as the rest of you Uchiha."

"No thanks to you," Itachi said with a shrug, taking the teasing a mere smile.

"Right. Sorry for ruining him," Minato said with a wide smile. "Let's do this, then, shall we?"

Itachi nodded and the two stood for a moment. Itachi whispered something that Boruto couldn't hear and Minato nodded just slightly. "There's about ten of them," Sarada whispered to Boruto. Her own Sharingan was activated at this point. "I think Itachi-san is telling Minato where they are."

"This'll be over in a second," Boruto whispered. Sarada nodded in agreement. Even without blind spots, the Hyuuga had to be fast enough to react to Minato's speed and they weren't.

Minato took off. He threw a kunai and appeared behind one of the men to grab it. The man spun, but not nearly fast enough. Minato kicked him forwards and Itachi jumped forward to grab the victim. Before the Hyuuga had a second to comprehend what was happening, he was staring into the Uchiha's eyes. After a scream, the man went limp. "I told you to be gentle!" Minato teased.

"You just do your job." Itachi called back. He threw one of Minato's kunai in another direction and Minato caught it, hurling it back at Itachi as he dispatched another Hyuuga before Itachi even caught the weapon. Itachi hurled it again, this time to kill a third. Minato caught it mere centimeters from stabbing the young fighter in the head. The young boy took off running in terror.

"This is almost too easy." Minato said as he landed beside Itachi.

"Indeed. You would think that the Hyuuga would put up more of a fight… or would have sent better fighters to deal with the former Hokage." The both moved as another Hyuuga, a woman, aimed a water attack at them, flooding the area. Boruto narrowed his eyes. This wasn't right. They should have prepared better for this fight.

Boruto gasped at the same time the realization hit Minato. "Itachi!" Minato shouted. He spun around and kicked Itachi into the alley way seconds before a lighting user lit up the water. Minato jumped into the air to avoid the attack, but they were expecting that. A Hyuuga was above him and slammed an open palm onto Minato's chest. The man gasped and fell into the water, screaming as electricity coursed through his body.

Itachi ran towards the former Hokage, but as he did, a barrier was created. The Uchiha stopped and narrowed his eyes, searching for the ones creating it. Minato screamed again, but they couldn't hear anything. "Sound…" Itachi gasped. "The Sound ninja are helping the Hyuuga!" He cursed angrily and attacked the barrier.

"It was a trap," Boruto growled. "They were distracting them while they set up the barrier!"

"Itachi…!" Minato gasped once the sound attack died down. "Got the children out of here!"

""Minato-san, that is not advisable!"

"Get them out of here!" Minato screamed.

Itachi cursed. Boruto knew they were outnumbered. Itachi could most likely handle it without problem, but he had two children to deal with on the battle field, and most likely couldn't handle the threat, help Minato and make sure the kids made it out alive. The man stared into the barrier for a moment as Minto stood to face the Hyuuga in with him. Boruto turned away. He didn't want to watch both his grandfathers kill each other. Itachi turned away from the fight. Minato was on his own.

He ran back to where he had hid Boruto and Sarada, gasping slightly when Sarada turned to him. "You… You're an Uchiha?" he asked. Sarada turned away. "Impossible. There are no Uchiha out of the village."

"Can we do this later?" Boruto gasped. He was shaking violently. The fight within the barrier wasn't going well. The attack on Minato's chest had drastically hindered his chakra flow, leaving Minato only able to use taijutsu.

'I'm Sasuke's daughter," Sarada said as Boruto was lifted. Itachi turned to her sharply.

"Sasuke's alive?!" He shook his head. "No matter!" He started running. The Leader of the Uchiha Clan would be a prize for the Hyuuga and Itachi wasn't about to let them win it.

Boruto watched as Hiashi and Minato fought within the barrier for as long as he could. Tears filled his eyes and he gripped Itachi's arm. The man smiled at the blonde in his arms. "There is nothing to worry about, child," he assured Boruto. "Minato is strong. He will meet up with us soon, I'm sure."

Boruto nodded slowly, but his eyes never left the fight. Tears clouded his vision and one of the blurry figured in the fight fell to the ground.

* * *

Naruto ran through the village. His shoulder was bleeding, but he was relatively unharmed. He held Himawari in his arms tightly. As he looked down at the girl for fleeting moments, he saw the resemblance. _These can't be my children,_ Naruto continued to think, but he felt that connection to them. Holding her in his arms felt almost natural to him. He had nearly torn apart the Hyuuga that had her in order to keep her safe. He couldn't deny that he wanted them to be safe. _But I want everyone to be safe,_ he concluded.

He stopped running and kissed the girl on the forehead. _Mine or not, no child should be treated like the Hyuuga want to treat them._ Naruto nodded and continued through the village. Not long ago, the Sound ninja who had been camping outside the village had come in. Naruto wasn't sure when the Hyuuga achieved a treaty with their smaller neighbors, but it had happened. Naruto was just cautiously waiting for Orochimaru himself to show up.

"Itachi-san!" Naruto called as he spotted the man. His smile faded when he noticed the extent of Boruto's injuries. He darted to the Uchiha.

Boruto gasped when he saw that Naruto had his sister. "You got Hima-chan!"

"I assume you know these kids." Naruto nodded. "Let the girl have the one you have. Your father is fighting Lord Hiashi." Naruto's eyes widened. Sarada took Himawari from Naruto and the man tore off in the direction Itachi had come. He clenched his fists and ran faster.

Upon returning to the made-shift arena, he found it to be empty. The fight had already ended. Naruto spun around and looked. There was no one left and nothing to give any indication of who had come out alive. The fact that there was no body in the area gave Naruto hope. _Dad's stronger than Hiashi anyway,_ Naruto thought with a nod. He decided that the kids were safe with Itachi and he took off again, this time towards the Hokage mansion.

In a coup the main target is always the leader. Naruto hoped that Sakura had taken Tai to the Academy where the evacuations were taking place. _I'll find them later._

He jumped onto a roof top and stared out at his village. Buildings were burning and bodies were thrown around like dolls. "All of this… for what?" he asked. "So much for preventing a coup with the Hyuuga, dad." Naruto spotted a red creature running through the village, tearing apart anything that got in his way. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Ansei…" he whispered. The Hyuuga would pay for this and everything they had done up until this point. He clenched his fists and turned, heading towards the Hokage mansion.

* * *

"I should be out there!" Obito screamed as he stared out the window and onto his burning village.

"Hokage-sama, that is unadvisable!" Yamato pleaded. "This is a coup! The leader is what they want! We have moved your wife and daughter to a safe location, and you are safe here! You cannot go out there! If we lose you, we lose everything!"

"So you want me to stand here and watch my village burn to the ground and drown in its own blood?!" Obito snapped at his advisor.

"Yes," Kakashi muttered. "That is exactly what we want you to do. There's no reason for you to risk your life. The situation is being handled."

"This doesn't look like it's being handled! I am the Hokage!"

"And if you want it to stay that way, you need to let us to do our job!" Kakashi growled back.

"What about _my_ job, as leader and protector of this village?!" Obito shouted back.

Kakashi sighed deeply, his hands shaking. "I don't like it either! Our kids are fighting this while we're in here, waiting it out! It's not fair, but that's how it works!"

"We need to move you to a more secure location. The enemy will be approaching the mansion soon," Yamato advised. "The Sound have joined forces with the Hyuuga. This seems to have been their plan all along."

Obito bowed his head. They had obviously been planning this for years. The Sound had been trying for years to beg Konoha for help, then suddenly they withdrew from their attempts. The Hyuuga must have promised them something. Not only that, but they had begged for the Kyuubi and had forced the Hokage to cover up everything Ansei did wrong, including not one, but three separate murders. _The boy was crying for help,_ Obito thought sadly as Yamato and Kakashi discussed behind him. _He's been trying to warn us for years… but we ignored him. We were too afriad of_ this _happening… and we just let it happen anyway._

Obito closed his eyes and turned as the door swung open. "Naruto?" Kakashi gasped. "Your shoulder! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Naruto snapped. He turned to Obito. "The fox is out!"

Obito closed his eyes. That was their plan, wasn't it? To have the fox in their ranks. _Minato-sensei and I were fools,_ Obito thought. The door opened again, and this time it was Hiashi. Everyone in the room grabbed their weapons.

"Calm down," the man snapped. "I'm here to negotiate."

Obito narrowed his eyes and went to his desk. Kakashi showed the Hyuuga elder to his seat. He sat graciously. "You aren't exactly in a posotion to negotiate," Obito said once everyone had settled. "Even with the Sound, you're outnumbered."

"There is a second wave waiting outside the village. They are equipped to hold a seige on this village for weeks if we have to."

Obito clenched his fists. "I still wouldn't call that putting us in a corner," he continued. "We're a self sustaining village, after all… we don't need the outside world for a while."

"We'll unleash the fox on the village."

"That would kill your men as well as mine. You aren't in the position to make any demands, Hiashi, so why don't we end this mess before it gets any more out of hand. If you surrender now, then I will forgive your clan for the actions of their elders."

"You aren't even the head fo the clan anymore!" Naruto snapped, only to be silenced by Kakashi.

"Hanabi elected me to handle the negotiations," Hiashi muttered. "Now, Obito-sama, you and I both don't want to drag this out."

Obito leaned forward, putting his mouth on his interlacing fingers. "Because you and I both know that you don't have the manpower to drag this out," he said with a shrug. Hyuuga and Uchiha glared at each other. "You don't have us in any compromising position. And threateing to leave the village won't work anymore, Hiashi."

"We'll kill everyone, then."

Obito snickered, but mentally he got a little worried. "Is that truly your best threat? You are a single clan with an army from a village that is not even a third of our size. Even with a Jinchuuriki, you don't have the manpower to kill everyone in this village."

"Do you really want call my bluff, Obito-sama?" Hiashi asked.

"You have nothing to back up your threats.

"Do we?" The door opened again and this time Neji walked in, dragging Minato's limp form behind him.

"Sensei!"

"Dad!" Naruto shouted. "Neji! What are you doing?"

Neji bowed his head in shame. Obito glared at Hiashi. "What is this proving? That you can beat the former Hokage? Release him!"

"Or what?"

"I won't surrender the village to save one man," Obito growled through clenched teeth. Naruto glared at him, but Obito knew the man understood.

"Oh, I know you won't do that. I don't take you for a fool Obito, however, I do have a single weapon that you might be interested in."

A third and final person entered the room. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but Yamato gasped slightly. This one was a small child. He wore a symbol on his shirt. Obito didn't recognize it, though he was sure he had seen it before once or twice… _On a mission, I think…_ he thought.

The child turned to Hiashi, who nodded. The boy exploded into a puff of dark red smoke. "He's part of the Iburi Clan!" Yamato gasped. "Cover your mouth and nose!" They did, but no one moved to help Minato. The smoke moved and vanished into Minato's mouth. The man's eyes snapped open and he began screaming and convulsing in pain.

"Stop it!" Naruto shouted. Minato writhed in pain on the ground.

"They can't control that ability!" Yamato snapped. "They can't even be outside!

"Under Orochimaru, they learned how to stablize it. They can now hold together, even under severe winds," Hiashi said with a shrug. "And in return, they are loyal to the Sound… and loyal to us now."

Obito wasn't listening. He watched his sensei scream and convulse in pain. Blood seeped from his nose, mouth and eyes as the human turned smoke turned him inside out. If they had any number of soldiers with this ability, then they had the manpower to back up their threats… and, at the same time, they could decide who to kill and who to spare.

"Enough!" Obito shouted. The red mist flew out of Minato's body and rematerialized as the child beside Hiashi. Obito sighed as Minato's screams turned to whimpers. Naruto knelt beside his father, trying to comfort him, but Obito wasn't sure what could be done to save him at this point. He didn't even know what the child had done to the man.

"So?" Hiashi asked.

Obito sighed deeply. He could kill Hiashi and Neji right now; but Hiashi wasn't the leader of the Hyuuga, and killing him would not stop the attack, it would only anger them more. "What are your demands…?"

 _Author's note: The Iburi clan was a clan that was featured in the anime during the ANBU Kakashi Arc. I like their ability… so leave me alone about it! XD_


	10. Night

_Author's Note: I'm really struggling with the idea of if I should bring canon Naruto and Sasuke to World 2… The problem is HOW, to be honest. If I bring them in, it would be difficult dealing with characters with the same name, so I'm considering letting them enter into the bodies of their World 2 counterparts… Or going by different names… Or just not bringing them in at all… What do you guys think?_

 _Chapter Ten: Night_

 _Two Months Later…_

 _World I_

Naruto was a wreck and it wasn't getting any better. They hadn't made any progress on the device or finding the one who created it. It had been months and still no one knew how it worked. _You cannot seclude yourself like this,_ Kurama growled. Naruto was sitting on top of the Hokage monuments, staring down at the village. He could hardly function. Kakashi had taken over the positon of Hokage for the most part, leaving Naruto free to search for the creator of the artificial Sharingan, but any trail they found with the unnatural chakra quickly vanished, leaving them with nothing.

"I don't need your help," Naruto snapped to the fox aloud. "It's going to take more than this to break me. We'll find them."

He sounded confident, but he wasn't so sure anymore. They had no idea where there kids were and even though Boruto was a prodigy and Himawari was just as outstanding, they may not be able to handle themselves. They hadn't even left the village alone. Naruto buried his head in his hands. "I thought I'd find you up here," Hinata muttered. Naruto turned to her and smiled softly.

"Hey, Hinata," he muttered.

Hinata sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, rubbing it slightly. "Hello, sweetie," she whispered. Naruto leaned his head on her shoulder and she placed her chin on his head with a sigh. "You okay, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, of course!" Naruto said with a forced smile. "We'll find them, I promise! In fact, I should probably get going! That craftsman isn't going to find himself!" Hinata grabbed his arm. Naruto turned to see that she was crying. He frowned. "I promise, Hinata, I _will_ find them." He whispered. "And I'll kill whoever took them from us."

Hinata leaned on her husband as she tried to hold the tears in from coming faster. Naruto ran his fingers through her hair and closed his eyes. He hated this… Not knowing. He felt helpless and he couldn't stand it.

"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said as he landed in front of them. "There's someone here to see you."

Naruto blinked and followed his advisor. They all knew that most visitors were to report to Kakashi, so he wasn't sure who would be calling on him at this time. In the office was a young man. He looked around nervously, trying to keep still, but failing.

Naruto walked up to the boy. He was young; probably around sixteen. "Well?" Naruto asked quietly. He didn't recognize the boy at all. "How can I help you?"

"Th-the metal Sharingan…"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. "What about it?" he said, trying not to sound frantic.

"I… It's mine…"

 _World II_

Boruto sat staring out at the garden of rocks as Ansei raked it silently. He had been living in the compound for a little less than the two months since the coup. At first they hadn't been so kind to him and his sister, but after realizing that Himawari was a valuable fighter, they decided that the two kids might be worth their time.

It was a little after four in the morning and the sun was just coming up. The black and white haired child had been raking since dark. Boruto had watched him since the boy started. The whole process was long and methodical and Ansei hadn't even begun weaving the intricate patterns with the rakes. The garden was a large rectangle with raised walkways surrounding it. Boruto wasn't the only one observing the curse Hyuuga. While it was meditating for the one raking, the sound of the rakes on the fine pebbles was hypnotic. The pebbles were white and the massive rocks that were used for training were black

The sun climbed into the sky. Hyuuga got up and left, only to be replaced by others moments later, all wanting a calm meditation before their day. Ansei created the illusion of liquid and waves surrounding the larger boulders, statues and the few plants that were scattered amongst the rocks.

By the time Ansei decided he was finished, it was beautiful. Ansei stepped onto the wooden boardwalk and bowed to his work. Boruto was half asleep by that point. He had never seen a garden raked before, and had always thought he wouldn't have the patience for it. "It's beautiful," he whispered to Ansei as he passed. The older Hyuuga looked down on his guest and sighed.

"Thanks," he grunted.

"Do you want to spar later?" Boruto asked. He held no grudge towards the other Hyuuga and didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"No. I have work to do."

Boruto closed his eyes and nodded. He had seen the work Ansei did. The boy was up well before the break of dawn and would sweep, or clean, or rake the training grounds. He was their slave. Boruto watched the boy walk away silently. Boruto crossed his legs and sat in full lotus while staring at the garden that Ansei had spent hours on. It was one of the many gardens in the compound, and the largest. Students would train on the boulders, practicing balance and meditation.

After another half hour, the boy stood, wincing at the sting of blood returning to his limbs. He stumbled forward, his bare feet making the wooden planks squeak; a natural alarm system. In midday, the compound, especially around the main house, was alive with the faint squeak that sounded like a million birds chirping during the day. At night, that sound was much more sinister. Boruto wandered the compound aimlessly. He figured he should try to find Himawari.

The Hyuuga were treating them both surprisingly well, but he figured that was because they didn't want either of them to cause problems. Himawari was training with Tori when she trained and Boruto often came to watch her. He had all but given up on seeing his family again, so Himawari and Sarada were all they had.

He hadn't see Sarada in a while either. He wasn't allowed to leave his compound and, from bits of conversations he had heard throughout, the Uchiha were just as stuck in their compound. With a Hyuuga as Hokage now, it wasn't wise for them to do anything that might anger their leaders. Boruto found himself at one of the smaller training arenas in the compound. "Hima-chan!" Boruto called.

The young girl turned and ran to her brother, hugging him tightly. "Boruto-kun!" she greeted. Boruto wrapped his arms around her before kneeling in front of her. She had a slight bruise on her cheek. "Who hurt you?" Boruto asked.

"It was a training accident, nii-san," Himawari giggled. Boruto narrowed his eyes, but didn't think anything of it. They wouldn't harm either of them… yet. Boruto kissed his sister's forehead. She blushed and turned away with a softer giggle.

"Himawari, we need to train," Tori called.

"Yes, Tori-san!" the young girl called. She turned to Boruto and frowned. "I want to go home," she whispered. Boruto turned to Tori and stood.

"We will… I promise," he answered. He would never give up on getting his sister back to their world, even if he had to stay here to do it. "You just work on getting stronger! Dad and mom will be so proud when you come back and you will have gotten stronger!" He patted her head and watched her run back to her teacher.

Boruto frowned. She still wanted to go home, but he wasn't sure how he could make that happen. Sasuke hadn't answered their call. Itachi still believed his brother to be dead, and had believed that for twenty years. It was quite possible that the man was dead, and even if they did find him, they weren't even sure he could send them home. The Uzumaki sighed deeply and moved through the compound like a ghost.

Eventually he worked his way to a roof overlooking the busiest foot traffic area in the village. Boruto watched as the members of the clan went about their day. After a while, he spotted Ansei moving through the people with what appeared to be a bucket of water. Boruto stood, ready to go down and help the boy, but stopped as Ansei ran into a member of the clan. The water spilled all over the woman.

Ansei bowed deeply, apologizing profusely for the mistake. Boruto tensed, preparing to jump to the boy's aid when the woman lashed out at their personal servant; but she didn't even move to do anything. Instead she stood there ridged, ignoring the kneeling figure in front of her, and even when he began trying to dry her dress, she didn't even acknowledge his existence. She moved away from the boy before he finished, kicking the bucket as she left.

Boruto had seen that scenario play out many times in the weeks he had been there. They truly acted as if the boy didn't exist. Most of the time, anything he did went vastly unnoticed. Boruto sat down on the roof again, watching as Ansei hurried away. He sighed and jumped down to follow him. He wondered how much it hurt to not only be ignored because they were busy, but because no one wanted you to exist. He could only imagine it. He followed Ansei to the well where he was retrieving more water.

"You okay?" Boruto asked. Ansei jumped and turned to the young boy.

"I'm fine," he snapped, but his voice cracked, proving that he was holding back tears.

"Hey, don't worry about it! That woman is stupid, anyway!" He walked over to the well. "Here, let me help you…" He placed a hand on Ansei's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Ansei screamed, pulling away violently from Boruto like an animal that had been caged. Boruto backed away and stared at the boy in the face. So much pain twisted his expression.

"Alright. You sure you don't need my help?"

"I'm positive," Ansei growled. It was getting worse. Now the boy was getting violent. Boruto had wanted to talk to anyone who knew about the fox, and what he knew about it, it had fed on his father's rage/ _But daddy and the fox are friends now,_ Boruto thought as he watched the boy leave. He figured Ansei's rapid downfall was because he was angry and the fox wasn't making it better.

Boruto looked up at the sky. "You would know what to do, dad," he muttered.

* * *

Sarada was worried about Boruto and Himawari. She didn't like being separated; especially in this world. She stared up at the sky and sighed deeply.

"That is a rather loaded sigh for one so young," Itachi said from where he stood behind her. Sarada turned to her uncle and smiled softly. He sat. "You are worried about your friends, aren't you?" Sarada nodded. "Don't be. The Hyuuga aren't so bad."

"How can you say that?" Sarada gasped.

Itachi sighed and let his legs fall off the side of the roof, waving slightly, almost like a child. "There has been great animosity between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha for several years," Itachi grumbled. "Minato-sama kept it in check, however, making sure that it never escalated. The Uchiha were in charge of the police force while the Hyuuga had a leader in the Black Ops. He made sure the keep his council members from each clan even, and would consult both clans, even on matters that only affected one clan. He was good at keeping the peace between the two."

Sarada nodded. "So, what happened?"

"Obito became Hokage," Itachi muttered with a shrug. "He was the obvious choice. Minato had been prepping him for years and the Hyuuga didn't even have someone that they wanted to become Hokage. They were too busy dealing with Hinata's departure of the village. They were angry, however, that the balance of power between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. Obito could do nothing to appease, them. What could equal having a Hokage from your clan?"

Itachi bowed his head. "So they got angry," Sarada inferred. Itachi nodded.

"They grew angry and restless. When Kushina got ill, we wanted the fox in our clan, giving that the Sharingan could control the beast. We felt it would be safer for the village to place it in a clan that could control it if it ever broke out. Obito understood that this was a calculated move, but he knew that the Hyuuga would not stand for it, so he denied our offer." Sarada closed her eyes. "All was going well until Ansei entered the village. Only a handful of people were allowed to know that he was a Jinchuuriki…"

Itachi trailed off. At first, Sarada wasn't sure what had stopped him, but soon she felt it… familiar chakra.

"Brother!"

Itachi jumped from the roof to greet Sasuke as he came down the street, calling the older male. "Sasuke!" Itachi greeted happily. Sarada's eyes widened. Sasuke was the one who had changed the most, it seemed. He looked less hardened. He wore civilian clothes and carried no standard ninja tools, save for a knife that he kept on his belt. He had on a traveler's cloak, and underneath, he had only a tunic-style shirt.

Sasuke embraced Itachi, smiling happily. Sarada blinked. It made sense, she supposed, that this version of the man would be kinder. The Uchiha were alive and well in this world. She jumped down from her spot as well and moved closer to the two brothers. "I didn't think you wanted me home," Sasuke was saying, most likely answering a question about where he had been. "You never came looking for me…"

"Father told me you had been killed on a mission," Itachi answered softly. "I wanted to look for you, but father was insistent that I not go. If I had known you were still alive, nothing could have stopped me from finding you!"

Sarada let out a small squeak and the two brothers broke their embrace to turn to her. "Well, hello there," Sasuke said. "Itachi, who is this?" Both Itachi and Sarada came to the same conclusion. Sasuke thought she was Itachi's daughter. She blushed.

"She told me she was your daughter," Itachi said.

Sasuke blinked. "I… have no kids," he muttered. "But I believe that you are the one who Obito-sama wrote me about, am I right?" Sarada nodded.

"I'm sorry I lied… I just didn't want anyone to hurt me. I figured Itachi would have protected his brother's daughter."

"I wouldn't have let anything happen to you either way, but the lie does not bother me." Itachi said with a smile. "So, you have come back to take care of these kids, then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "The message was rather vague," he explained.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Sarada said with a half-smile. This version of her father was kinder and gentler. She liked it. "My friends and I… we have some questions for you, if we could talk in private…"

Sasuke blinked, obviously unsure of what the intentions were of the mysterious kids he had been called to help. "Sure. Where are your friends?"

"Right now, the Hyuuga have decided that they would do a better job being leader of this village," Itachi explained. "Her friends, who are Hyuuga born, are being held in the Hyuuga compound for a probation period. I was preparing an appeal for their release."

"You were?" Sarada asked.

"Of course. Even though the Hyuuga aren't evil, they are still very protective of their blood line and would not let anything taint it."

Sarada nodded slowly. Sasuke looked between them. "I guess its good I came back, then," he muttered. "Looks like we have a lot of work to do. I was never good at politics, brother."

Itachi sighed deeply. "I know. Kidnapping them from the Hyuuga will only cause problems."

"But if they aren't safe…"

"We will handle this diplomatically," Itachi interjected. "You were always so rash, Sasuke-kun." He reached up and poked the man on the forehead, earning him an annoyed, but endearing scowl from his younger brother.

* * *

Night was worse. One would think that the days would be worse. During the day, he had to face it all head on; but at night, it was worse. It was more of a reminder of his loneliness. Memories of the day kept him awake, staring at the ceiling as if it held all the answers. Whispers that only he could hear made him toss and turn.

During the day he could forget. He could get lost in a task and try to forget how they treated him. It would be easier, he thought, if they did hate him. Hating meant that they thought about him. It meant that they had some sort of feeling; it meant that they knew he was existed.

But they didn't treat him like that. They didn't treat him with disdain or hatred; they treated him like they treated the wind. No… They treated him like he was a ghost; an entity that existed, but only in his mind. He was there. They could feel him, but they didn't acknowledge him at all. They didn't look at him. When he had murdered his victims, they never spoke to him about it. He merely was told, through a door, that he would not be punished for the action. He imagined what it would take to get their attention. Did he have to paint a room with the blood of their leader before they acknowledged the monster they had created?

Ansei rolled over on his pallet and stared at the wall. The room was small. It had enough room for the pallet where he slept. A small table was tucked away in a nook in the wall. During the day, the bed and the table switched places. There wasn't enough space in the room for the bed and the table to be out at the same time.

There was a small closet in the room that held linens and other needed objects for daily life, including a tea set so that he may have tea without needing to bother anyone for it. They were kind enough to give him access to the finest green tea in Konoha. It was one of his few pleasures in life. He adored green tea. They gave him that, at least. His favorite food was steamed buns filled with a green tea paste. It wasn't often that he got to eat it, though. His diet in the compound mostly consisted of clear soup and greens.

Ansei was a vegetarian.

The Hyuuga groaned and rolled over. How his thoughts had turned to food, he wasn't sure. It was mostly likely when he rolled over to see the closet that held his tea set… his only _real_ possession. The boy stood up from his bed and rolled it. It was just past midnight and it was becoming increasingly clearer that sleep would not, for the fortieth night in a row, come. Ansei moved to the nook and replaced the table with the bed and placed the table on the ground. He went into his tiny closet and pulled out the black stone, single-serve tea pot. It was beautiful and flat in shape. Despite its small size, it was heavy, even without the water. The pot was carved with weaving patterns that were painted white.

The tea cup matched. He used to have two, but Ansho had destroyed one in her rage. He picked up the small cup with care, handling it like a newborn kitten. He placed the cup on the table and then moved to a small door opposite the main door. He had to crawl through it. On the other side of the wall was a small garden. It had a small wooden platform that he could sit on and meditate when he needed it. He was the only one with access to the garden and it was full of flowers that only bloomed at night. He still had flowers that bloomed during the day, but at night, the garden transformed into a silver dreamscape.

It also had a very small rock garden that he could rake with a hand-held rake. It brought him peace. He moved to the fire pit that sat that the end of his sitting platform and started a fire, meaning to make him tea using the water from the well that he also had access to.

The garden was a demand by his father. "He needs something of his own!" Kabuto had demanded when he was only four. The Hyuuga had given him the space behind his room to do with it as he would. No one else was allowed in his garden, and most didn't even know it existed. _It's just like me,_ Ansei thought as he looked across the small plot of land. He loved his garden, and while he loved raking the main rock gardens throughout the compound, his small one held a special place in his heart.

He crawled back into his room and went to his closet to remove the finely ground green tea powder. He smiled. It was one of the few enjoyments he had in life. He opened the container and placed two carefully measured spoons of the powder into the bottom of his stone cup. That deed finished, he crawled back outside to his garden.

"You didn't set a cup for me," a voice muttered from inside the room. Ansei sighed. He didn't hear the other ninja come in. He picked up his teapot and moved back inside before pouring the boiling water in the cup.

"I only have one," he muttered to the voice.

"Oh, that's right. Ansho broke your other one, didn't she?" Ansei nodded. The visitor sat down. Ansei turned to look at him. His long hair was bright silver, almost shining in a pale light from the fire outside. He wore a black robe and a white blindfold covered his eyes. He sat down opposite of Ansei at the table.  
"Didn't that make you angry?" Ansei shrugged and sipped his hot tea. His eyes never left the new person in the room. "It did… I remember."

"What of it?" Ansei growled.

"Nothing." Ansei sighed and stood, moving over to the closet. "What are you doing?"

He opened the closet. "If you're here, I can forget sleeping the rest of the night. Might as well pass the time." His visitor waited patiently while Ansei pulled out a shogi, set the board, and then killed the fire outside before lighting a single lantern inside the room, bathing it in an unstable, orange light. He knelt beside the table and nodded to his guest, offering him the chance to make the first move. He did.

The two played in silence for a few minutes because the guest spoke. "You are upset," he observed as he moved his piece. Ansei stared down at the board.

"Is this anything new?" he asked, making his move.

"Not really. What's wrong tonight, Otōto?" He moved.

"They don't need me anymore." Another piece moved.

"Nonsense. You think that just because they have what they want, your usefulness has been used up?"

Ansei shrugged. "They don't need me. They have the power."

The visitor laughed dryly. "You are thinking too small, Otōto. They didn't need to gain power, they need you to maintain it. You're too important." He moved another piece. "This life is something you will never escape from." Ansei didn't react for a moment. He simply stared at the board, shaking slightly. "Do you know what a Jinchuuriki is…?"

"Shut up."

"It's a sacrifice, Ansei."

"I know that." He made another movie.

"I don't think you do. Do you know what this means for you?" There was a click of wood on wood. "It means that nothing you do will ever matter. They have taken everything. Your future, your dreams. They won't let you have children." Another click. "You can forget every having anything."

Ansei glared up at the speaker. "What of it?" he growled through clenched teeth.

"You are the ultimate in human sacrifice. You call that crippled child your doll, but all you are is a plaything for the Hyuuga. Your life belongs to them and them alone." He made a move. "You will have nothing; not even a mention in the history books, probably not even a marked grave when you die. You and that child are one, but he will be the only one that will be remembered."

Ansei moved his piece angrily. It always ended up like this.

"You will most likely raise his children. They will never know who you are; just who the elders want them to think you are. They'll never know their real father, but what does it matter for you? You will always be the puppet and they will always be your puppeteer. You and I know there's no escape, Ansei."

"That's a lie," Ansei growled. Afterward, the only sound was clicking as the two players continued their game. Several minutes later, Ansei looked up. "I will have my revenge."

"You will have nothing," the other boy snapped with a laugh. Again, there was a lapse in their conversation. "You _are_ nothing!"

"Get out," Ansei snarled.

"Why? Are you going to kill me, Ansei, like you killed the others?" He laughed bitterly. "You say you did it to get their attention, but you know you did it because you can't control it!"

"I said 'get out!'"

"Quiet. You don't want them to hear you."

They continued for a while in silence. Ansei made his moves with angry slams on the board while the other player never lost his temper.

"What about that blonde kid?"

"What about him?" Ansei grumbled, annoyed. He moved again.

"Are you going to kill him too?"

"I could," Ansei said with a shrug.

"I know you could. You are a monster, Ansei… A monster that can't control his primal instincts. That's why you're so easily controlled… All you are is an animal… too stupid and too angry to think properly. That's why you'll never be free of this life!" Ansei felt hot tears stream down his face, crying softly. "Oh, stop it! You can't have those pesky emotions! Whether you get your revenge, or you continue to be controlled, those emotions will get you nowhere!"

But Ansei couldn't stop. He leaned over the board, holding his stomach as he cried harder.

"You're pathetic." The voice hissed. "Get over it. This is the life you've been given." He moved his last piece. "I won, anyway…"

Ansei didn't move, even when his lantern had used the last of its oil and the only light was what moonlight seeped through the paper walls. Ansei's side of the board was a mess… The other side had not been disturbed from its start position…

Nights were _always_ worse…

 _Author's note: I literally rewrote this ENTIRE chapter! I hated the first draft… completely! I like this one much better! It's taking the story where it needs to me! Also, please let me know what you think about canon Naruto entering this world. That's the only thing I am unsure about with the rest of this story! Hope ya'll liked this one! I personally thought it was sad._

 _Longest chapter! Yay!_


	11. Surgery

_Author's note: I have figured everything out! Time for some violence!_

 _Chapter 11: Surgery_

 _World I_

Naruto led the teenager through the village where the Sharingan was. "Why did you do it?" he asked. He had calmed down from initially wanting to kill the boy once he saw how terrified the poor kid really was.

"It was an accident, Hokage-sama," he answered quietly. "I did not mean it."

"Why were you creating an artificial Sharingan?" Sasuke asked.

"It's a long story, sir," he answered. "You see, my hometown is small, and we are in debt from a larger village. We were unable to pay back the money we owed them, so they started taking our crops instead, leaving us without enough food to feed everyone. I'm an inventor, you see, so I decided to try to invent something that I could sell." He fidgeted as they walked. Sasuke was glaring at him for even thinking about selling his clan's abilities.

"And?" Naruto prompted. He wanted a reason as to why his children had been taken from him.

"I created the first one, but it didn't work. Finally I had a working one, and I was traveling to search for Uchiha Sasuke in hopes to get some insight about how it worked."

"What's the point of it?"

"I had studied the war and Obito was said to have the ability to enter different dimensions. I was fascinated by this, and realized that if we could enter into these realms, we could build prisons there where people can be rehabilitated without the fear of them escaping. I wanted to sell this technology to Blood Prison." He smiled. "Before I came here, I wanted to do one more experiment, but I was sure it had failed. I didn't know the kids were there," he assured them quickly.

"Angry and distraught over my failure, I threw the thing away, only to return a couple days later in order to find it, but you had beat me to it. I went back to my village to create another prototype and was traveling through the Land of Fire when I overheard that Sasuke was back in Konoha. I was pleased, so I hurried here. In a café this morning, I heard some people talking about how the Hokage's kids were missing and the only clue they found was a metal Sharingan. I rushed here as soon as I heard!"

Naruto sighed. So it hadn't been anything malicious. Despite his words to Hinata, he wasn't too thrilled at the idea of killing anyone, even if they were the ones that kidnapped his kids. "You say this technology works, then?" he asked.

"It must. There is only a small chance that they did not survive the journey to the other dimension. I had already run experiments on mice and they went to and came back from the other world without any complications."

Naruto breathed a sigh a relief. "Good. Now, let's get them back. They're probably frantic… where ever they are…"

 _World II_

Sarada tried to listen intently to the brothers as they spoke. Apparently, Boruto and Himawari were part of the contract that Obito had signed with thee Hyuuga when power had been transferred; which meant getting them back would be a problem. Itachi had sent someone to the Hyuuga compound to let them know of the negotiations that would be happening soon for the children's release. They hadn't sealed Himawari as of yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. Their message hadn't been met with hostility, but the longer this went on, the worse Sarada could see it going.

She sighed and rested her head on the long table. Wouldn't it just be easier to go there and get them out? She hardly understood the politics of this and wasn't quite sure how sensitive this really was. In her world, there were no Uchiha to cause such anger and hate… They were all dead.

"You can go to bed, young one," Itachi muttered.

Sarada sat up quickly. "N-no…! I'm fine. I want to help Boruto and Himawari!"

Itachi grinned. "Very well." He turned to Sasuke. "We don't have anything to offer them in return."

"I know," Sasuke grumbled.

"I don't see why we're trying so hard to save two Hyuuga brats," Fugaku snapped.

Itachi turned to his father. Sarada looked at her grandfather and sighed. He wasn't as nice as Boruto's granddaddy. "Why would we leave them in the hands of the Hyuuga?"

"They aren't part of our Clan, so it shouldn't be our concern."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "They are, however, part of our village, and we should respect that."

"Itachi-"

"With all due respect, father, you are no longer the leader of this clan," Itachi growled. Sarada flinched. Itachi was severely angry at his father for keeping Sasuke's departure a secret. Not only that, but Fugaku had been in touch with his estranged son the entire time since he had left.

Sarada shrank away as the man stood angrily. "If that is how you feel, Itachi- _san_ ," he hissed.

Itachi nodded as his father left the room, leaving the two brothers and Sarada in silence.

"You don't have be so hard on him, Itachi," Sasuke muttered.

"I do, because there's no other way to get through to him," Itachi defended hotly. Sasuke nodded in understanding. Sarada had learned that Sasuke had been angry at the choice of Itachi to become head of the clan. He left within Minato's graces, promising not to join another ninja village, and he departed at night, leaving the village. After he had cooled down, he wanted to return, only to be told by his father that he could not. He had spent the rest of the time in The Land of Waves, dealing with problems there, almost like a guardian. He never settled down.

Sarada frowned and turned her attention back to the two as they discussed. The conversation wasn't interesting to her and soon she had laid her head down on the table again. The next time she opened her eyes, she was being carried down a dark hallway in the arms of her father. She smiled softly and closed her eyes again.

* * *

"Intruder!"

Boruto bolted up, gasping as the alarm was sounded. He ran to his door and flung it open, only to be shoved back inside by a rushing Hyuuga. "Boruto!" Himawari whimpered. They had finally let the kids share a room again. Boruto moved to his sister and hugged her tightly. He could only imagine how this was going to go. Who would be attacking the Hyuuga compound…? And why? He figured the second answer was easier than the first, but he didn't dwell on it. He hugged his sister, stroking her hair as the shouts came from outside; loud and angry.

"What's going on?" Himawari whimpered.

"There's just a little bit of a disturbance… No big deal," Boruto assured his sister, though he hardly believed his own words, He closed his eyes, rocking her gently. Boruto wanted to scream. Nothing made sense and he didn't know what to do anymore. The Hyuuga wouldn't always be so kind to them. Eventually they would seal Himawari. She wasn't part of the main family to them, and they wouldn't let her go without it much longer. Boruto doubted his ability to protect her if that happened. He had lost to Ansei… He knew if they fought again, the outcome would be the same…

He shook his head and clenched his fist. He wouldn't let that happen. He would die before he let anything happen to her. _If dad's not here to protect us, then I will have to do it,_ he said with a nod.

The two sat in mostly silence for what seemed like hours. Himawari eventually settled into her brother's lap and fell asleep there. After a while. Boruto moved his sister onto the bed and walked out silently. He moved down the dark hallway. He and his sister slept in the main house for now, until they had a better place for them. The wooden floor was cold on his bare feet as he walked down the hall. He stopped at a corner and peeked around. Hiashi was there, arguing with Lady Hanabi in angry whispers that Boruto couldn't make out.

Boruto snuck the other way to the open door. He stopped short, his eyes wide. Two men were dead on the ground and blood stained the walls. On the bed was another body. Boruto couldn't help but let out a soft squeak. He quickly covered his mouth. The three men were the elder and his two guards. Boruto let out a loud shout as his arm was grabbed and he was yanked violently away from the open door. Hiashi pushed in to the ground.

"Why are you out of your room, boy?!" he snapped.

"Father!" Hanabi scolded. "He's just a child!"

"These two are most likely in on it~ He kicked out at Boruto with enough force that would have broken a rib, but the kick never hit its mark.

"Don't touch him," Ansei growled dangerously, turning his pale red eyes to his grandfather. He twisted the man's foot and shoved him back.

Hiashi sighed. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I smelled blood," Ansei said with a shrug.

Hiashi sighed deeply again. "Very well." He turned to Hanabi. "We can't allow this to go unpunished. The Uchiha Clan is responsible for this and will be held accountable for their actions."

"This could be an isolated incident. I doubt the clan as a whole is involved. We should handle this without the loss of any more life."

"We have an Uchiha in custody!" Hiashi snapped.

"We will discuss this later, father," Hanabi retorted. She turned to Boruto and Ansei, who was helping the blonde up. "You two head off to bed, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Boruto said with a bow. Ansei nodded and the two moved away quietly. "Hey… thanks for that?"

"I didn't do it for you," Ansei said. "I take any chance I get to annoy Hiashi." But he smiled all the same.

Boruto smiled back and patted Ansei on the shoulder. For a moment, both of them paused. It was just a second and Boruto remembered the last time he had tried to touch Ansei. He expected the same result, but the moment passed and Ansei's smile turned softer and he looked away. _Maybe I_ can _save him,_ Boruto thought with a grin.

"Don't act shy," he teased. Ansei shoved Boruto away from him playfully. They walked in silence until they reached Boruto's room.

Ansei placed a hand on Boruto's head. "Don't worry about what you saw tonight," he assured him. "I'm sure they'll handle it." Boruto watched the older boy walk away and sighed deeply. It was a slow process, but the glimpses of the person Ansei _could_ be if he could escape them were enough to give him hope. He opened his bedroom door and walked in, picking up his sister. He sat with her in his lap and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep.

* * *

"What was that about?" the blindfolded ninja grumbled as he walked beside Ansei.

"Are you following me?"

"Yes. I thought you said you could kill him."

"If I needed to, but he's harmless," Ansei snapped. He didn't know _what_ to think about Boruto. He had been waiting his entire life for someone to treat him like Boruto did. He even seemed to consider Ansei a friend, even after Boruto had seen Ansei at his worst.

"Sure…" When he didn't give a response, Ansei heard a scoff and the other ninja was gone, leaving him to wander back to his small room alone.

The sun rose and Ansei was called to come out. He wasn't usually called for meetings, but he figured that if the Uchiha were causing waves, he had to be there to show a display of his power so that the Hyuuga reminded them all that they could keep their hold and make good on their threats. Ansei dressed in a mourning gown and walked out of the room silently, being led by a guard who didn't even look at him. Ansei shoved his hands in his pocket.

He was led out of the Hyuuga compound and through the village. The village was unnaturally silent that morning. It seemed they knew what was happening. Many people scorned the Jinchuuriki as he was paraded through the village. They remembered the damage he had caused during the coup. Ansei tried not to flinch. At least they were looking at him.

He bowed his head as they moved to the Hokage mansion. Ansei took a seat at the long table that was used for meetings like this. Hiashi and Hanabi entered the room. Ansei stood and bowed to them. Despite hating Hiashi, he couldn't fully hate Hanabi. Tori followed them with a nod. Ansei sighed. _So that's it… I have to be the new leader of the Hyuuga clan today, not their show of power…_ He sat up straighter.

There were only a handful of people in the village outside the Hyuuga Clan that knew that Ansei wasn't Hanabi's son. One of those people was in a coma and the other one would never tell because they he'd have to admit to his mistakes. "Good morning, Mother," Ansei hissed. Hanabi sighed and nodded to her "son."

Several minutes later Itachi, Fugaku, Obito and Sasuke were led into the room. "Sasuke shouldn't be here," Hanabi said.

"My brother needs to be here, before you accuse him of this," Itachi said respectfully. The Hyuuga stood and the two clans bowed to one another. Ansei sat opposite to Sasuke, Hiashi to Fugaku Obito to Tori and Itachi to Hanabi.

"Very well," Hanabi said.

"Before matters continue," Obito interrupted. "Has the Hyuuga named a Hokage? We cannot have a committee running this village."

"We will worry about that, Obito-san," Hanabi answered, silencing her father's retort. Ansei suppressed a giggle. Hiashi had raised a strong and powerful woman… and he regretted that sometimes. "That is none of your concern."

"With all due respect-"

"We are not here to speak of that," Hanabi cut him off. "I am sure you are well aware of what happened last night."

"Yes," Itachi said. "It is most unfortunate and I am ashamed of my clansmen for turning this into a violent matter. However, this was the action of a single radical, not the entire clan. He will be punished according to his crime."

"The Hyuuga will handle his punishment," Hanabi said firmly.

Itachi blinked. "I do not feel that is entirely needed, Hanabi-san," he said quickly. "The one responsible will be dealt with."

"This is treason, Itachi," Hanabi said. "He must be punished accordingly."

"And what you did isn't treason?" Sasuke grumbled. The room fell silent, but Ansei smirked.

"History is written by the victors," he said with a shrug. Sasuke smiled at him, but the Hyuuga didn't seem pleased that he seemed to siding with the Uchiha.

"I like your son, Hanabi," Sasuke said.

"Thank you." Hanabi responded with a nod. Ansei looked away, deciding he was in enough trouble for that comment. "Back to the point. We will handle the punishment of this traitor. This cannot be left in your hands." She raised her hand to silence Itachi's retort. "He has killed our elder and two of our men. I am sorry, Itachi, but he is ours to deal with, not yours."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "What will his punishment be?"

"Surely you understand what it _must_ be," Hiashi said. Ansei turned to his grandfather. "He must be executed for his crimes."

Itachi stood. "That is unacceptable!" he snapped.

Hanabi watched without giving anything away. "I am sorry, Itachi, but that is what must be done."

Fugaku glared at them. "This is not worth that."

"Three men are dead!" tori argued.

"Three _Hyuuga_ are dead!" Fugaku retorted.

"Are we to believe that our clan's lives are worth less than yours?" Hiashi returned.

"That's not what's being said here!" Obito chimed in. "this should be handled without the senseless loss of life!"

"It's too late for that!" Tori growled.

Ansei bowed his head, his hands shaking. "Stop arguing," he hissed, but no one heard him over their own arguments. He thought about it. The Hyuuga couldn't let the man get away with the crime because it would show weakness. But if they killed the assassin, then it would just show them to be the bullies everyone thought they were. But if they let him live, then the village could get a foothold in their shaky control… but if they killed him, they would lose whatever support they had from the villagers.

 _It doesn't look good either way,_ he thought with a sigh. He closed his eyes. It was then that he noticed all was silent in the room. He opened his eyes and turned to see that everyone was looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"What do you think, Ansei?" Tori asked. Ansei looked at his "father" and blinked slowly.

He shrugged. "It's a calculated move," he started quietly. He would show them that he wasn't to be taken lightly. "If you show mercy, it will cause the villagers to think that you might have a weaker hold on the village, but if you kill him, you face looking like cruel monsters." He leaned back in his chair. "However, the crime ended with three dead men that cannot be ignored. He has already confessed to the crime, and proudly as well. I say that he wants to die a martyr, so we might as well give him what he wants."

In the end, it was decided the man would die for his crimes. Ansei wasn't sure why they had listened to him, but they did. It felt good to be listened to. He sat, kneeling before his garden. The sun would be up soon, and then he would do his part in this. They had given him a perfect opportunity to not only feel needed, but to show his strength. He was to be the executioner.

Killing shouldn't bother him… but he had felt deep remorse for everyone he had killed over the years. He looked down at his hands. He had never wanted to be a killer, or to be feared. His visitor didn't come that night, most likely knowing that he had to think this through alone. He had already decided the method he would use. They wanted him to show his strength. _That's all I am for them,_ he thought. _I am a puppet for them… a doll that they can dress up and call their own._ He clenched his fists.

Even though they had asked his advice during the meeting, they didn't truly care. He agreed with them to stop the bickering. He stood slowly from his spot and moved inside to done his mourning clothes again. He picked up a black headband and placed it over his curse mark before leaving the room and heading outside. He stopped in the center of the compound where he would end a life. _I don't want to…_ he thought sadly, staring at the ground. He wanted to talk to Boruto or Naruto about it… to beg them to make it all stop. He was being forced down a path he didn't want. _I don't want to be their weapon…_ Boruto had started to show him that he could be something more… something that didn't belong to anyone else.

But he stood out of sight as the people gathered and the prisoner was led out. "Ansei!" Naruto called, running towards him.

"Hello sensei. How is your father?"

Naruto shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now. I wanted to talk to you! Hinata told me what they're making you do!"

Ansei shrugged. "I know."

"Don't do it." Naruto begged.

"I have to, sensei… you know that…"

Naruto shook his head. "You can't come back from this, Ansei!"

"I've killed in cold blood before, sensei, you know that."

Naruto bit his lip. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Ansei… We will help you!"

Ansei pulled himself away from his teacher, narrowing his eyes. "I don't need your help!" Why did everyone want to control him?! Even his sensei wanted to tell him what to do now! "And I don't want it either. This is _my_ choice!" He started through the crowd to his position. He bit his bottom lip. _He's right,_ he finally decided as he looked at the defiant Uchiha member. His eyes were covered with a blindfold. _I can't get my revenge on these people with these pesky emotions. I have to do this; not for the clan, but for me. I have to prove to myself that I can make my own choices. I'm doing this for me, not them. I can't be bogged down by these emotions. I can't care about anyone else… Only myself._

He looked around the crowd and noticed Boruto watching intently. Ansei smirked. _Good. Watch… then you can give up on me, just like everyone else._ He chuckled softly. _Under any other circumstances… we could have been friends…_

He looked to Hiashi, who nodded as that he could begin. Ansei stepped to his victim and closed his eyes. He did the handsigns and entered into the stance required. His hands glowed a deep blue color. "Ansei!" Naruto called. Ansei didn't acknowledge it.

"Eight-trigrams…" He attacked the man's body. He didn't scream, but Ansei knew he would. He would beg for mercy if he had time to. Eight Trigrams wasn't exactly a deadly attack if the user didn't want it to be, but Ansei had studied medical ninjutsu from his father. With every touch he made, he was not only blocking chakra flow, but severing blood vessels, tendons, muscles and bone.

It was an attack he had been forbidden to use once he told his teacher about its conception. It was unspeakably cruel. The attack combined Eight-Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms with Chakra Dissection Blade. Under normal circumstances, the attack was impractical, as it required a massive amount of chakra that most people didn't have readily available. It also required pinpoint accuracy, especially if the attacker wanted to torture the victim by keeping them alive throughout the entire attack.

The amount of chakra control it required was unreal. Not only did the user have to target the chakra points, but also the small vitals. The attacker had to make their chakra streams they emitted the size of hair. The user could also not keep the stream going. It had to be cut off after each tough, meaning that the users had to consciously create the strands and destroy them in a matter of milliseconds, only to recreate them.

Ansei spun and slammed his fingers into the man's body. He screamed, finally. Ansei could see the man's chakra system falling apart inside him. He could also see the man's body giving out as Ansei destroyed the Uchiha's body from the inside out. Finally he slammed his palm into the man's chest. He doubled over and vomited blood on the ground. The amount that came up was sickening.

Ansei stood over him and watched as he collapsed and convulsed on the ground, screaming in pain as each tremor that shook his body only caused more pain. More blood came up with each scream. Ansei turned to a point in the crowd and locked eyes with his real mother. The screams faded as he saw tears streaming down her face. _What have they done to you?_ Her eyes were saying.

Ansei blinked and turned to look at the gathered Hyuuga there. He suddenly felt sick. He turned to the man, who had been reduced to whimpers on the ground. He was dying slowly. Ansei had done his job _too_ well. He turned and saw it in their faces… A shiver went down his spine. They were no longer ignoring him…

But all he saw reflected in their eyes was his own fear…

 _Author's Note: Okay, not as violent as I thought it would be! Just death! A very painful death… Hope you enjoyed! Sorry I stuck with Ansei for a really long time. I'll try to avoid doing that in the future! I didn't want as many character switches this chapter! Please forgive me!_


	12. Safe and Sound

_Author's Note: Some stuff… happened… I don't want to talk about it! Enjoy!_

 _Chapter Twelve: Safe and Sound_

Boruto stared back at Ansei, his eyes wide and watering. He felt bile rise in his throat and his whole body shook. His only solace was that Himawari hadn't been there to witness the brutality. For a moment, Ansei turned to him and their eyes locked. Boruto didn't want to show fear, but he must have because he saw the other boy flinch away from his gaze. Ansei turned and went to leave. The crowd parted like the Red Sea and whispers surrounded him as he left. "Ansei!" Boruto called. He ran after him, and grabbed his arm.

Ansei pulled away violently. The two stared at each other. _What am I doing?_ Boruto thought as he searched Ansei's face for any hint of his thoughts. _I don't know this kid. I've only known him for a couple months… Why do I care so much?_ "Stay out of it," Ansei growled.

Boruto shook his head. "Is this what you want?" he asked.

Ansei didn't answer. He simply walked away, leaving the rest to clean up his mess. In all, it took the Uchiha three more, agonizing hours to die; and then everything went to hell.

The villagers heard about the method of attack and things went downhill very fast. Riots and protests broke out around the village for the injustice that had occurred. While the man did, by law, deserve to die, he didn't deserve the torture that Ansei had done. Boruto paced his and his sister's room as night fell; and with the night, came even more anger.

Boruto jumped as there was a knock on the door. He ran to it and opened it. "Sarada?!"He gasped, embracing her tightly. Himawari came as well to join the hug. Boruto felt tears fall down his cheeks as he held his teammate. "What are you doing here?" he managed after a moment.

"Itachi snuck me in," she whispered. "It's terrible out there! I think they'll break in soon. We have to get out of here!" Boruto nodded and lifted his sister in his arms.

"You're crying…" Himawari whimpered. She wiped the tears from her brother's cheek. Boruto was at his breaking point. For a moment, he leaned into her small hand, allowing the tremors come that he had been trying to conceal. "What's wrong?"

Boruto took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong," he said with a smile. He nodded to Sarada and they took off into the hallway. Itachi was waiting for them at the edge of the compound and they ran. Boruto held Himawari close to his body to protect her from the village. They were Hyuuga, after all.

The village, it seemed, had had enough. They were angry that the Hyuuga had raised their newest head of family to be so cruel and heartless. The group didn't stop until they reached the Uchiha compound, which was mostly empty as the Uchiha had gone to join the protests outside. Itachi hurried to his home. "Naruto, Obito! I got them!" Naruto ran into the foyer and hugged the two kids with a smile. Obito sighed with relief and Sasuke also grinned as he entered the entranceway.

"We have to stop this," Itachi snapped.

"We have to kill Ansei," Obito muttered.

"What?!" Naruto and Boruto snapped at the suggestion.

"We _have_ to!" Obito retorted. "The boy is dangerous! His time with the Kyuubi has warped his mind! We were fools to give him the fox in the first place."

"Why does he have to be punished for your mistake?" Naruto snapped.

"He's already being punished!" Obito growled. "We need to end his punishment!"

"You can't give up on him!" Boruto said hotly. "There's still good left in him!"

"It doesn't matter," Obito said, defeated. "Now that the village knows the monster he truly is, he'll never be accepted…"

Boruto bowed his head. He knew that his version of Naruto had gained favor in his village, and had even become Hokage. Why couldn't Ansei have the same chance? He sat down on the ground as thunder shook the ground. The adults continued arguing, trying to decide the fate of the Jinchuuriki. _Why do they get to decide?_ He thought. _That's not fair! This was never fair to him!_ Boruto nodded. He and Himawari would go home… and he would take Ansei with them!

As silently as possible, Boruto ran out of the house and towards the compound. He had to get Ansei out of there and then they could come up with a plan. They had Sasuke now, so that had to be able to get out of there. _We'll handle having two foxes in our world when we get there!_

There wasn't much of a plan at that point, but he knew he had to try. Ansei didn't deserve to live in this hell anymore. Boruto ran as fast as he could, but the compound was complete chaos by that point. Boruto dodged the fighting as he tore through the area towards Ansei's tiny room. He flung the door open, but it was empty, save for a single board of shogi on a small table. Boruto looked at it for a moment and blinked. Any other time he wouldn't have paused, but the board was untouched on one side, as if a player was playing by himself and imagining the other moves.

Boruto shook his head and crawled into the small door on the other side. He looked out at the small garden. The rock bed was trampled and the plants were stepped on and destroyed. Boruto ran back into the room and out the door. Where would he go?! He had nowhere to go!

He stopped suddenly as he passed Hiashi's room. He listened intently and his eyes widened. He flung the door open. "Ansei!" he gasped. Sure enough, the boy was there with his grandfather. Hiashi was bound to where he couldn't use the Dark Phoenix Jutsu and anyone else that could use it was too busy dealing with the mess outside.

Ansei turned to Boruto. "Stay out of this," he snapped. Boruto looked between Ansei and Hiashi and sighed. "Don't pretend he doesn't deserve this!" Ansei shouted. He took the kunai in his hand and slammed it into Hiashi's arm.

Boruto's shoulders dropped as he tried to come up with something to say. He stepped towards Ansei, but the other child spun around, hurling him through the walls with a loud thud. Boruto was left on the ground, shaking from the shock of the impact.

When he came back to his senses, all he was aware of was the screaming. He could hear Ansei shouting angrily at Hiashi and the man's tortured screams as the boy released thirteen years of hatred and frustration on his grandfather. Boruto stood shakily. "Stop!" he shouted.

Ansei stopped in mid-swing and turned to Boruto. Blood covered half his face. "I told you to stay out of this!" he growled.

"What will killing him do?" Boruto asked shakily. "Will it get you all those years back? You don't have to do this, Ansei!"

"I know I don't… And that's _why_ I'm doing it! You can't pretend to sit here and know me!" Ansei retorted. Another gasp at the door made Ansei snarl. He hurled his kunai at the new person, but jumped when he realized who he had just attacked. "M-mom…!" Ansei blinked slowly. The kunai had found its mark in her flesh, but nowhere vital.

For a moment, everyone in the room dared not move. Ansei slowly looked down at his shaking hands, covered in blood. He screamed suddenly. Ansei tore out of the room, shoving Boruto out of the way. Hinata took a step towards her child, but fell to her knees as she did. Boruto took one look at her before taking off after Ansei.

"Stop!" Boruto called, but Ansei wouldn't stop. Boruto sighed and did a couple handsigns, teleporting in front of Ansei, grabbing his shirt. "Where are you going?!"

"Away from here!" Ansei snapped, shoving Boruto out of his way.

"You're just going to leave?"

"What else is there to do?" Ansei reasoned angrily. "I can't stay here! Not after _that!"_ He pointed a shaking finger towards the way he had come.

"Come with me!" Boruto offered.

"To where?! Where are you going to go?" Boruto bowed his head. _How am I going to explain this…?_ "And why do you care so much?!"

"I… Don't know," Boruto admitted. "But you can't just run from this! Where are you going to go?"

"Anywhere but here! I have to go somewhere where I can train without being held down by the Hyuuga, so I can come back and burn this god-forsaken place to the ground!" Ansei snapped.

"What will that accomplish?!" Boruto shouted. "What will _any_ of this accomplish?"

"Why does this village deserve to exist?" Ansei responded. "Look at this _mess!_ This place is as screwed up as I am!"

"Yes it is!" Boruto retorted, tears streaming down his face. "It's flawed, and it makes mistakes, and sometimes people fall through the cracks, but they don't all deserve to be punished!"

Ansei rushed at Boruto and grabbed his shirt, holding him in the air. His other hand began to glow and he reached towards Boruto's head, ready to dissect his brain. The attack never came, however. Boruto blinked as a white and red cloak fell around him. He was thrown to the ground, but not in anger. "What in the _hell_ is going on here?!"

Boruto was stunned into silence as he stared up at the cloaked figure in front of him. The newcomer had Ansei's arm in a death grip and a bandaged hand was at his side, holding Boruto back.

"Dad…?" Boruto whimpered. His eyes widened as he realized that this _was_ his father. "Daddy!" Boruto called. He ran to the man and hugged him from the back. Naruto blinked and looked down at his son, not quite registering what was happening. Ansei tore out of this Naruto's grip and looked over the man that had come. Boruto knew he must be confused. This wasn't the sensei that he knew. Ansei shook his head and took off running, disappearing in the chaos.

Naruto looked like he wanted to go after the boy that had dared to hurt his son, but he had bigger problems to deal with. He turned to Boruto and knelt in front of him, only to be tackled in a tight hug. "You came…" Boruto whimpered, gripping his father with such vigor that he thought he might choke him.

Naruto was, undoubtedly, confused, but he hugged his son tightly and comfortingly, rubbing his back. "Of course I came," he whispered.

"I'm sorry!" Boruto cried. He buried his face in his father's orange jacket. "I'm so sorry!"

"Shh..." Naruto whispered. "Don't worry about that now…"

"I don't hate you!" the boy continued, gripping his father tighter.

"I love you too," Naruto responded with a light chuckle. "Now… What is this place?" He stood, holding Boruto protectively. "Where's your sister and Sarada?"

"With Itachi and Obito," Boruto answered as nonchalantly as if it was normal.

"Itachi…? And Obito…?" Naruto asked. Boruto sighed. This was going to take a lot of explaining, it seemed. "It doesn't matter. We don't have a lot of time! This portal thing doesn't stay open very long!"

"Right! Uchiha compound!" Naruto nodded and hurried through the Hyuuga compound, searching the riots.

"Who was that boy?" he asked.

"Just a friend," Boruto muttered.

Naruto chuckled softly. "Looks like you inherited my taste in friends, hm?" Boruto nodded slowly. "What is this place, anyway?"

Boruto sighed. "That's… a long story, dad…" he grumbled. "I'll tell you when we get home…" Naruto nodded agreement and seemed to lock onto the girls' chakra as he sped up faster. Boruto looked out at the village that was in a mess. Every time lighting illuminated the sky, he could see the damage. _Maybe Ansei's right… Maybe this place is just as screwed up as he is,_ the boy thought dismally. He rested his head on Naruto's shoulder as they ran.

Naruto opened the door to Itachi's house. "Himawari!" he called. His whole body froze when Itachi stepped into the foyer.

"Naruto?"

Boruto slid out of his dad's arms and looked between Naruto and Itachi. "You're alive?" Naruto breathed finally.

"Yeah… You saw me a few minutes ago. I thought you went out to find Ansei…" He looked up and down the newcomer, noting the difference between his Naruto and the one that stood before him; mainly the Hokage cloak.

"Ansei might not be very easy to find," Boruto interjected. Itachi shook his head to turn to the kid.

"Daddy!" Himawari shouted. She ran to her father and tackled him.

"Seventh?" Sarada gasped.

Boruto turned to the Uchiha. "We're going home!" he said.

Naruto turned to Itachi, obviously trying to accept all of this. "What's happening?"

"You're from wherever these kids are from… aren't you?" Itachi asked. Naruto nodded. "Some riots have started. I assume this is not the case where you are from…"

Naruto shook his head. "It's rather peaceful there."

"Must be nice…" Itachi said. Boruto sighed. Itachi seemed rather easy going. _The other Naruto probably explained all of this during the two months in the compound._ He closed his eyes.

Naruto picked up his daughter and stared at Itachi for a long moment. Boruto knew the man's debate; help this world, or get his kids to safety. The moment of debate didn't last long, however. "Let's go!" He turned and ran out the door. Sarada took a final look at her uncle before following the Hokage.

"If they find Ansei, they are going to kill him," Itachi told Boruto.

"This isn't my world…" Boruto reasoned. Could he truly escape all of this? Could he leave it all behind?

"Is it?" Itachi asked. "You were the first one to ever get a scrap of kindness out of that boy."

"Why don't you save him?" Boruto asked. Itachi sighed and shook his head.

"You have a connection to him that no one else has. Who exactly _are_ you?" Boruto didn't answer. He realized he couldn't. "I see…"

"Boruto!" Naruto shouted from outside. "Let's go!"

"Good luck, child," Itachi whispered.

Boruto shook his head and took off after his father. He clenched his fists as they ran through the village and out of the gates. "Can you believe it?" Sarada asked Boruto with a smile. "We're going home!"

"Y-yeah…" Boruto muttered.

"What's wrong…?"

"It's Ansei," Boruto admitted.

"He's not your problem, Boruto! We don't even belong here!"

 _Do we…?_ Boruto thought to himself, but out loud, he said "you're right. I'm just going to miss him, is all, I guess."

Sarada smiled. "Well, we'll have a pretty weird story to tell Mitsuki when we get back!"

"He probably won't believe us," Boruto teased.

They ran to where the portal was. Boruto blinked. Inside the other side of that tear was home. It was bright and sunny while a storm continued to grow here. "Papa!" Sarada shouted. She ran through the portal and leapt at her father and mother as they waited. Boruto clenched his jacket, shaking slightly. Sarada was home safe…

Naruto walked through with Himawari as the tear began to mend itself slowly. Boruto took a step towards it. He could go through and forgot this whole thing. He could go home and never look back… How easy would it to be to just say good-bye to this forsaken world and never think about it again? It was just a world that he hadn't even wanted to believe existed, even while they were in it.

 _Hima and Sarada are safe,_ he thought with a long sigh of relief. He could be safe too; away from this storm. He took another step towards the tear. _If they find Ansei, they are going to kill him._

Boruto stopped and turned to look at the village gates. They would kill him… He didn't deserve it.

" _Why do you care?!"_ Ansei had asked him.

"Because we're brothers…" Boruto answered quietly.

Naruto hadn't noticed that his son hadn't come as he, Hima and Hinata reunited. It had only been a few seconds. The tear got even smaller. _This is something I have to do._ Boruto concluded. _This is only something_ I _can do. I can't… I can't leave him, dad! I can't. I understand now. He is our family… And I won't leave him!_

He took a step away from his home and his family. The gap was closing faster now. _I'm sorry… But this is something I_ have _to do…!_

"I love you!" Boruto called into the portal. Naruto spun around just in time to see his son's back as the portal faded out of existence.

* * *

" _Boruto!"_ Naruto screamed, lunging at the fading tear in reality, but he was too late. His fists slammed into the wall where it had been. "Boruto!" he cried. He spun around to Sarada and her family. "Where is he going?!" he shouted. He wasn't angry, just frantic.

Sarada blinked and shook her head. "Ansei," she breathed. "He's going after Ansei!"

"Who is Ansei?" Hinata asked.

Naruto waited impatiently, but he didn't want to make the poor girl uncomfortable. "It's… complicated," Sarada muttered. "Ansei is your son." She pointed to Hinata. "Or Hanabi's… I don't know, really. It's so confusing. But he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi in that world!"

 _I knew I had felt it,_ Naruto thought. "Is it that white and black haired kid?" Naruto asked. Sarada nodded. "But he was trying to KILL Boruto!"

"What?!" Hinata gasped.

"When I found him, he was about to Chakra Dissect Boruto's head!"

Sarada sighed. "Ansei's a bit… unstable." She muttered. "From what I gathered, Ansei's basically been treated like an object his whole life…"

Naruto closed his eyes, then turned to the inventor. "Get me back there! I can't let him go through with this!"

"Naruto… we fought," Sasuke reminded him.

"That's different! You and I had years to build that bond that kept you from killing me! Boruto and this… whatever he is haven't had that time! That boy was about to Kill Boruto! And neither one of us was crazy!"

"I beg to differ," Sasuke muttered.

"Now's not the time to argue!"

"It's malfunctioning," the inventor interjected. "It's not meant to sustain a portal."

"Then fix it!" Naruto screamed.

"Y-yes sir!" The man said quickly.

Naruto slammed his fist into the wall, cracking it. They were _so close!_ "I should have carried him in!" he growled at himself.

Hinata rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Maybe… Maybe this is something he has to do, sweetie," she whispered.

"If something happens to him, I'll never forgive myself…" Naruto whispered. Himawari walked up to her parents and hugged her dad tightly. Naruto gripped her and smiled. He kissed the top of her head. _At least one of this is home and safe._ "How long will it take to fix it?" Naruto asked, calmer.

"I don't know. An hour… maybe two."

Naruto closed his eyes. _Boruto… I hope you know what you're doing…_

 _World II_

Ansei ran from the village as rain began to fall around him Right now it was a drizzle, but if the thunder and lightning were any indication, it was be a torrential downpour soon. He wasn't even looking where he was going. He had to escape before they found him! It didn't matter where he went at that moment. All that he cared about was getting away.

A part of him wanted to get away because he didn't want to hurt anyone else. He had hurt his mother… He couldn't handle it anymore. The other, vast majority of him was more than willing to leave just to get out of there so he could train without the interference of the Hyuuga Clan. He wanted to destroy the Leaf Village and make them pay for what they had done to him. They had let this all happened. He had decided that they were responsible for this whole mess. They didn't deserve to live anymore.

Ansei ran faster. The further he got away, the better if would be. They wouldn't follow him for a while. They were too busy dealing with the riots in the village. They wouldn't even know he was gone before he had crossed the border. By that point, they couldn't go get him. He would be across the border and they wouldn't be allowed to cross to get him back. All he had to do was cross.

He shook his head, trying to forget Boruto's words. _Come with me…_ He had told him that.

"But to where…?" Ansei thought. He didn't know. There was nowhere that Boruto could take him where he would be free from the village forever. Boruto had nowhere to take him. He put chakra in his feet to run even faster.

He stopped suddenly, skidding to a halt. Beyond him was the Valley of the End, but before he got there, he spotted his only obstacle. "Boruto?"

"You don't have to run anymore," Boruto said quietly. "You don't have to be afraid, Ansei."

"Shut up!" Ansei growled. "You know nothing! Step aside, Boruto!"

"I can't let you do this," he answered. "I can't let you throw your life away. Is this really what you want?"

"Does it matter?! Who cares what I want?"

"I do… Please, come with me."

Ansei pulled out a Kunai and fell into a ready stance. "Don't do this, kid… I won't hesitate to kill you."

"I know." Boruto pulled out his own weapon. Ansei smirked. "But this is something I have to do…"

 _Author's note: So, here's the deal… I haven't seen the new Boruto movie, and I'm trying to avoid spoilers. This is obviously going to be a BIG fight. I can either 1.) Put this story on Hiatus until I see the movie, which will be on October 10_ _th_ _. I already have my tickets! Or 2.) I continue this fight while making assumptions about Boruto's power and abilities, with minimal research and you guys don't correct me if I'm wrong. Let me know! Hope you liked this one!_


	13. Warning Sign

_Author's note: We shall continue! Prepare for flashbacks… of DEATH! It IS a Naruto fight, after all!_

 _Chapter Thirteen: Warning Sign_

" _Ansei…?"_

 _A boy of about four turned to the three year old from where he squatted, pulling a towel from the closet. "Hm?" the young boy asked._

" _What's it like outside…?" The black and white haired boy blinked and got back to his task. "Ansei!" the second child whimpered._

 _Ansei smiled softly. He stood and walked to his younger counterpart, placing the fluffy white towel around the poor boy's deformed body. "It's not as great as you think it might be," he grumbled as he lifted the child in his arms._

" _But what's it_ like…?" _he whined._

 _Ansei sighed. "Well, right now it's hot out there," he answered finally. "Hot and humid."_

" _Well, what's that like?" he asked, his white eyes wide._

 _Ansei thought for a moment. "You know how when I've drawn your hot bath and we walk into the bathroom and the air feels really hot and heavy?" The child nodded. "Well, it's kind of like that, I guess."_

" _It gets like that outside?!"_

 _Ansei giggled. He opened the door to the bathroom where he would be bathing his cousin. "Usually right after it rains or right before," he answered as he placed the child into the tub. He began rubbing the boy's legs._

" _I don't believe you."_

" _You should, Ningyo."_

 _The boy wrinkled his nose at the nickname. "Why do you call me that, Ansei?"_

 _Ansei paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Because you're like a little doll; all fragile and helpless." He splashed the boy gently in the face. "Scrub your hair." The younger boy stuck out his tongue before he started lathering his long, dark hair. The two remained silent for a few minutes. "What do you want to be called?" Ansei asked finally. "What does Lady Hanabi call you?"_

 _The boy frowned, splashing absently in the water. "Mommy doesn't call me anything," he grumbled finally._

 _Ansei turned to the boy and stared at him for a long moment. He sighed and reached over, hugging the child gently. "Come on, you, let's finish this up."_

 _He finished bathing his younger cousin and then dressed him in a silk robe. He put the child on his back and started back towards his room. "Why do they call you Ansei?"_

 _Ansei smiled softly and shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But don't you worry about that, okay?" He turned the corner._

" _Can we go outside, Ansei?"_

 _Ansei shook his head. "No. Not today…"_

The boy had grown up… Alone and without any more interaction than Ansei had been given throughout his life. While Ansei grew up outside, Ningyo had grown up _inside._ The small child hugged his mother tightly with his aching limbs as they hid in a safe room while the world fell apart outside.

She said no words to him. They acted like strangers. They had been forced apart by the elders of the Hyuuga Clan. Ningyo was a relic that could not be touched and his mother was not his caretaker. He loved her… he truly did, but that didn't mean that he understood her unwillingness to visit him. Was she disgusted by his tortured body? Did it hurt her to watch her son crawl on the floor, unable to walk?

His whole life had been inside. Inside one room, and then inside another. Even when he went outside, it was never outside. He was brought to the gardens in a screened tent. He had never felt grass. They were ashamed of him. He wasn't just a crippled child, he was also a reminder of their failure to Hanabi. They had been failing for years, and they had known it.

When you were inside, you heard things. No one minded the child behind the screen… the true heir to the Hyuuga clan. They discussed the woman that would have his children; children he would never see and a woman he would never get to know. The boy had heard them as they realized their mistake. They had known Ansei was dangerous long before Ansei proved it. They had known he was unstable. They had known, but they hadn't done anything to save him.

The boy looked in the darkness. He had also seen his friend and cousin falling deeper, but he hadn't done anything either. He buried his face in his mother's shirt. "Mom?" he whispered.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What is my name…?"

Hanabi sighed deeply. "That's a loaded question, my child," she whispered. "And it's not easily answered."

"Did you not name me?"

"I did," Hanabi whispered. "But… Hinata also named her son… but it wasn't Ansei."

"Ansei isn't Lady Hinata's son?" the child asked innocently.

Hanabi shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant… Ansei is not his name. At least… it wasn't when he was born. That was _your_ name."

"Then… what's his name?"

 _It was several years later. Ansei wasn't supposed to visit him anymore. After he had tried to kill his cousin, and then himself, Ansei had been forbidden to go anywhere near the child he had once loved. But that didn't stop him from coming into his room one night._

" _Ningyo…?" Ansei whimpered. The boy was around 12 that day. It was the day he had killed his classmate. The crippled child didn't move. He sat as still as possible, staring out at the moonlit garden. "Ningyo, please," Ansei cried, his voice cracking._

 _The child didn't answer. He had to be the leader of this messed up clan, and he had vowed he would do a better job than everyone before him, but he couldn't do that with a monster living in their clan. He ignored the Jinchuuriki._

" _I don't want to hurt people anymore!" Ansei cried. The boy flinched. The pain in his cousin's voice hurt him more than anything else. "But they won't make me stop!" He didn't move. "Please, Ningyo! I am not a monster! Please, don't give up on me too!"_

Yes you are… _the child thought, but his body shook with tremors._

" _Please just look at me!" Ansei screamed as he fell to the floor in the deepest bow, his forehead touching the floor. The boy listened to the nearly hysterical sobs from the broken figure behind him as his own tears soaked his face._

* * *

Boruto stared at Ansei. One wrong move and this could end in a fight that he didn't want to fight. "Ansei," he said gently. "I can take you away from here… Somewhere the Hyuuga can't get to you."

"I'll never be free of them until they're all dead!"

"No!" Boruto retorted. "I promise. I'm not from this world! I'm from a place where you will be accepted!"

"I've been lied a lot to in my life, but that's by far the most creative," Ansei growled.

"Just listen to me!"

"Just get out of my way, Boruto. We don't have to fight here."

"I know we don't," Boruto answered.

"Then put down your weapon."

Boruto blinked slowly. "If I put mine down, will you put yours down?"

Ansei nodded. Boruto squatted slowly and placed his kunai on the ground. Ansei dropped his, but before the weapon touched the ground, he threw Boruto into a tree. Boruto's eyes widened and he rolled out of the way seconds before Ansei slammed a fist into the tree, shattering it. "Darn it, Ansei! I'm trying to help you!"

"I don't need your help! I'm sick of everyone trying to control my life! I'm sick of being treated like I'm nothing! I will prove to everyone that I am someone! Someone they should all _fear!_ And I'll start by getting rid of you if I have to!"

Boruto shook his head and ran. He didn't know where he was running to, but he also didn't really care. _What have I done?!_ He thought. _I should have brought dad with me! Dad would be able to handle this!_ He gasped as Ansei jumped in front of him and round kicked him back the way he was come. Boruto created a shadow clone to throw him in a different direction and then another one to catch him and soften his landing. _No use thinking about that now,_ he thought with a nod. _If Ansei wants to play, looks like I'll have to play with him. Maybe I can knock some sense into that thick skull of his._

He had heard about how his dad had not only fought with fists, but with words. Boruto doubted anything he said to Ansei would break through to him. He had to tire down the other boy first, then maybe they could talk like the civilized people they were.

Boruto sighed and stood slowly. "Okay," he whispered. "Let's fight, Ansei." He looked around slowly. He couldn't hear Ansei. The Hyuuga was a master at medical ninjutsu and Boruto had seen the devastation that combining Gentle Fist with Chakra Dissection could cause. _Guess I have to keep my distance,_ Boruto thought with a slow nod. Ansei wasn't an idiot, but neither was Boruto. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down. Letting Ansei anywhere near him would mean certain death.

Boruto's eyes snapped opened as Ansei tackled him. Boruto struggled violently and hurled a fast into Ansei's face, sending him flying backwards. Boruto was on the run again. Ansei knew his own strength and wasn't taking any prisoners. _Who thought it was a good idea to teach him that move?!_ Boruto growled. He ran until he came to the edge of a cliff and then spun around, putting his back to the edge, narrowing his eyes.

"Where is he…?" he whispered. His question was answered when the ground beneath him shook. Boruto cursed as the ground crumbled. He lunged towards the tree line, but was stopped by a kick in the face, sending him back over the cliff. Boruto's eyes widened in shock as the water below rushed towards him. Hitting it would be like hitting concrete. "You've got to be kidding me!"

He held out his palm and a small Rasengan was created. Just before he hit the water, he slammed the spinning ball of chakra into the water, breaking up the surface and making it a much softer landing. Ansei wasted no time. He was trying to keep Boruto on the defensive, it seemed. Boruto swam deeper in the water to avoid the Hyuuga. He closed his eyes and ignited and electrical, turning the water around him into a literal death trap. He heard Ansei's muffled screams above and nodded, pinpointing his location and swimming away from it.

He hurried to the surface, gasping for air before pulling himself up onto the water, finding his footing carefully. Ansei stood opposite to him, glaring at him. _Alright. Let's end this,_ Boruto thought. He had to keep his distance; that was for sure, so he needed a long-range attack. He waited for Ansei to run out towards him, knowing that Ansei was more eager to get this over with than he was.

Boruto released the chakra keeping him on the water and sank just as Ansei ran over his. He created a small Rasengan and threw it at his opponent, smirking slightly. That wasn't the attack, however. He didn't make that one vanish in thin air. Boruto focused chakra to his feet and pushed off the water underneath flying in the air. Ansei dodged his first thrown Rasengan, and wasn't paying attention to Boruto as he created a second, larger one and hurled it at Ansei, making it disappear the second it left his hand.

Ansei howled as the attack got him in the back. Boruto rushed at him, creating a shadow clone to assist in the following taijutsu attack. The clone kicked Ansei in the face, sending him flying back towards the real one. Boruto grabbed Ansei and slammed him into the water. He avoided attacks that would cause any real and lasting damage. He was just trying to talk, not kill the poor boy.

Ansei sank into the water and a second later Boruto was grabbed from beneath and was dragged under. He took a deep breath just before water was brought into his lungs. Ansei rolled over and grabbed Boruto's throat under the water. He hadn't had time to activate the Chakra Dissection, and for that, Boruto was grateful. Ansei went to the surface and got to his knees, focusing chakra so he could kneel.

Boruto struggled beneath the water, but he couldn't get a hold. Ansei had him a few inches beneath the surface so any move he made distorted his vision and disoriented him. Boruto thrashed under the water, clawing at Ansei's arms, digging into his flesh. _Calm down!_ Boruto screamed at himself, but that was easier said than done. Panic rose in his chest as his lungs screamed for air, causing him to thrash more, which in turn caused more confusion. He opened his mouth in a wordless scream as panic took over every thought process.

His punches and clawing were dying down as his body became oxygen deprived. Boruto caught a glimpse of Ansei's face during a placid moment in the surface of the water. The boy wasn't there. His mind was somewhere else. His eyes were wide, reliving something traumatic…

 _Calm down…_ Boruto thought hazily. He closed his eyes and went limp in the water.

* * *

 _It would be easy. He had thought it many times in the past nights when he bathed the crippled child. Life, he realized, was fragile. One second you were alive and then the next, you were dead. It was that simple. There was nothing complicated about it. It was just something that happened._

 _He had tried it on a bug the first time. He wanted to test his theory. How easy was it to end a life? He took a spider in his hands, holding it by the body as it struggled between his finger and his thumb. He squeezed until the creature was killed in his hand. It stopped struggling. Life just ended._

 _He was fascinated by it. When the spiders no longer were interesting, he moved to birds. He was always quick about it. Slow deaths were boring. The victim had time to reflect on their lives. The fast deaths that came out of nowhere were the best. It was more interesting when they didn't see it coming…_

 _He knew the Hyuuga worried about him… and even more so when he moved from birds to cats. He only managed to kill one cat before they took action; but their idea of_ action _was to make sure there were no small animals for their resident psychopath to murder._

 _After that, Ansei had stopped wanting to hurt things. It wasn't as interesting anymore. He walked through the compound and people looked upon him with fear and disgust, if they even acknowledged his existence. He heard the elders talk about the child they had raised… the child that liked to kill animals for sport. It wasn't that he liked it, per se; it was just interesting. He saw it as if he were doing them a favor. Why would anything want to live in this twisted world where a child could be crippled and another child raised to only take his place? What kind of world was that?_

 _He walked into his cousin's room silently, moving through it like the ghost they all thought he was. Ningyo tried to get him to talk, but Ansei would not break his vow of silence, no matter what. He took a towel out of the closet and picked up the child, looking down at him. Wouldn't it be better if his little doll didn't have to live in this world anymore?_

 _He nodded at his unheard question and brought the younger boy into the bathroom. He locked the door, as he always did, and deposited the child in the bath where they went about their own business silently. Ningyo scrubbed his own hair as Ansei rubbed the knots out of his cousin's twisted limbs._

 _Without a sound, he grabbed the child and pushed him under the water. Ningyo struggled against the assault, but with his twisted and weak body, he could do little to save himself. Ansei didn't know exactly how long it would take for Ningyo to die. He figured that since he could hold his breath for a minute, it would take about a minute and a half. Holding Ningyo under the water was easy; so easy, in fact, that he could do it with one hand while stroking the younger's hair. He just wanted the poor boy to be happy and he had concluded that there was no happiness to be found in this twisted place._

 _But it took too long. He held on as the struggling died down to weak spasms, then to nothing. Ansei's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Life was too fragile. He pulled Ningyo from the bath and got him to the ground before performing CPR on him. Ansei screamed as he worked, shaking violently. They came, but before they did, Ansei fled the scene._

 _He ran until he found himself at the Zen garden. He sat down, bringing his knees to his chest and cried. He stayed there for a long time before he reached into a weapon's pouch._ Maybe… they can be happy _without_ me, _he thought as he pulled out a kunai…_

 _World I_

Sarada stared through half-closed lids as the inventor worked tirelessly on fixing the metal Sharingan. "Can't Sasuke just get us there?" Naruto asked impatiently.

The Inventor turned to Naruto and shook his head. "It's not that simple. These are artificial pathways. I don't know how I managed to tap into an entirely different reality, and the odds that blindly getting there again are slim to none. Plus, there could be any number of universes with minor differences. We know this Sharingan links to that world, and we don't know if Sasuke's does as well."

"So, no?"

"Basically," the man said with a shrug.

Sarada flinched when Naruto turned to her. "Can you tell me about it?" he asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"About the world?"

Sarada sighed and sat up, pushing off her father. Sasuke kept his arm around her shoulder. "It was weird," she muttered. "But similar. You were married to my mom…" Naruto blushed slightly, but Hinata merely shrugged. Naruto sighed. "And daddy was a civilian."

"I don't believe that," Naruto said. "Was he really?"

"Yeah! He grew up in the Land of Waves." Naruto smirked slightly and Sasuke glared at him. "Oh! And I met Uncle Itachi!"

Sasuke stiffened. "You met Itachi? Does that mean there are Uchiha there?"

"Yeah! The whole clan!"

Sasuke turned to his daughter and smiled faintly. Sarada grinned back at him. She settled against his side. Naruto turned to his daughter and wife. Himawari was sleeping in her mother's lap, but Hinata was clearly agitated and worried. "What about Ansei?" Naruto asked.

Sarada sighed. "I don't know. Boruto spent the most time with him. He was that world's Naruto's student. From what I gathered, he was Hinata's and Kabuto's son."

Naruto coughed into his hand in what appeared to be an embarrassed gesture and an attempt to hide a chuckle. It was Hinata's turn to blush. "Does he have the Byakugan?" she asked.

Sarada nodded. "I didn't really get his story. All I know what that he was abused by the Hyuuga clan."

"Why did my counterpart let that happen?"

Sarada shrugged. "I didn't talk to him very much," she repeated. She shifted uneasily. She didn't want to be the one to tell Naruto and Hinata that the last time Ansei and Boruto had fought, Boruto was left with near fatal injuries. "I don't really understand what was happening in that world. Obito was Hokage after Minato-san and apparently they made a mistake by giving a Hyuuga the fox."

"Obito was Hokage?" Sakura asked. "I wonder how that went."

Naruto shrugged. "He would have made a good Hokage."

"Minus the whole thing about being a psychopathic murderer, sure," Sakura grumbled.

"Let's not point fingers," Naruto retorted softly. He turned to Sarada. "Was he a good Hokage?"

"I guess," Sarada answered with a shrug. "He seemed a little weird, but I guess that's an Uchiha thing."

"Definitely," Naruto said with a half-smile. She knew he was trying to be strong. "How much longer?"

"I'm not sure," The inventor answered truthfully. "It's… possible that we won't get there again."

"What?" Naruto snapped. "How?"

"Don't worry! I should be able to! We'll get your son back, I promise!"

Naruto nodded slowly and settled back down, resting his head against the wall. _I'm coming, Boruto,_ he thought, clenching his fists. _Just… stay alive until I get there…_

 _World II_

Boruto's lungs hurt and he could hardly move. Drowning was painful. He wanted to open his mouth to draw _something_ in, but he forced his mouth to stay closed. _Calm down!_ His brain was telling him, but there was no longer any option. Boruto allowed his body to go limp under the water. With extreme self-control, he blocked his airway with his tongue and let his jaw slacken and his mouth to hang open.

Ansei wasn't stupid either. He waited several seconds to make sure the deed had been done before his grip on Boruto's throat loosened. The second that he felt Ansei's grip slacken, Boruto focused chakra into his feet and hands. He effectively gripped the water beneath him, using it was a springboard and kicked Ansei in the stomach, sending a blast of chakra through his feet that sent the Hyuuga flying back towards the waterfall.

Boruto broke the surface of the water and gasped. He couched violently as he struggled and pull himself onto the surface of the water. His mouth opened and he threw up water that had made it into his stomach. Everything was blurry and his body shook as blood rushed through him, trying to give oxygen. He felt heavy, but he knew that this fight wasn't over. Now he knew that Ansei would kill him and would not have any reserves about doing it.

Boruto thought about running back to the village, but he'd never make it. Putting himself on the run would be pointless. He didn't know how fast Ansei was, and even then, it was a terrible strategy. To Ansei, this wasn't just about getting away from the village. Boruto had been the only one that had seen Ansei as a person, and not a monster, or an entity that shouldn't exist. To be truly free from all emotional ties, Ansei _had_ to kill Boruto, because in doing so, he would finally kill the last amount of Humanity he had been clinging on to.

Ansei had failed in killing Ningyo and himself; the only two people that really mattered to him. Ningyo didn't care about him anymore, or so he thought, but Boruto did.

Boruto stood shakily, breathing deeply as his light headedness made him stumble. This was no longer just about saving Ansei; it was about surviving. Ansei stood by the waterfall, his eyes narrowed. He had activated the Byakugan. _Alright,_ Boruto thought. Fighting Ansei on the water could work to his advantage, anyway. He rubbed his bruised throat. He had to keep his distance this time. The only reason he had survived was because Ansei hadn't had time to activate his medical ninjutsu.

He couldn't afford to make that mistake again.

 _What does mom have?_ Boruto thought. He had been told he got his lightning release from her, and his wind affinity from his father. He had no idea of Kabuto's skill set. _Doesn't matter anyway,_ Boruto thought with a hiss. _This Kabuto is nothing like our Kabuto. No weird snake DNA. I have no idea what he was actually_ born _with. So, it's safe to assume that Ansei either as an affinity for Fire Release and Lightning Release._ He thought about it for a moment and looked at the water that surrounded him. _Let's hope its fire…_

He sighed deeply and formed several handsigns. He slammed his hands on the water and suddenly it rose up. He wasn't quite as efficient with water release, having recently shown a talent for it, but he needed to know which one Ansei had. If he had a fire affinity, then he would dodge the attack; if he had lightning, then he would use the attack to amplify his own. Streams of water flew towards Ansei. It didn't take a shape, as Boruto hadn't gotten around to actually creating a jutsu with it. He was doing the equivalent of splashing Ansei in the face. The attack was harmless for the most part.

Ansei dodged. Boruto smirked. _He has fire release,_ he said. He then created more handsigns and his hand sparked. He grabbed the stream of water flying at Ansei, electrifying it. He heard Ansei scream as his attack hit. This time Boruto wasn't going to let up. He needed to finish this before anything else happened. He didn't like the feeling of almost drowning and wasn't too keen on trying it again.

Spamming Rasengan wasn't going to work. He had to get in a clear shot and end this, but that meant setting up a trap. He looked around swiftly and in the span of a few seconds, he formulated a plan.

Ansei was on the move, running towards him. Boruto spun around and ran over the water. _The Hyuuga have one blind spot,_ he thought to himself; a deadly one, in fact. He released the chakra on his feet and dropped into the water, swimming deep under. He knew Ansei could see him make the clones beneath the surface. He made three, distributing his chakra evenly amongst the four of them, him included, so that even the Byakugan couldn't distinguish between them _I gotta end this soon,_ he thought. Unlike his father and Ansei, he didn't have a nearly unlimited supply of chakra. Two of the clones were created back to back and stayed in sync with one another. Ansei would think that only two clones had been created, not three.

Boruto's clone grabbed the two other clones and hurled them into the air, then went with the real Boruto to the surface several meters away from Ansei. Boruto and his clone broke surface just as the two clones threw weapons at Ansei. Just as predicted, Ansei initiated Rotation to avoid the attacks. _Perfect._ Boruto nodded to the clone and it ran at Ansei. The Hyuuga stopped his rotation just in time for the clone, which he would believe was the real one, attacked with a kunai. Ansei spun, whipping out his own weapon.

Boruto nodded. He had calculated the exact angle Ansei had to be at to attack the clone, and then he positioned himself. He created a small Rasengan that was about the size of a gumball; a perfect size to infiltrate Ansei's blind spot. Boruto hurled the Rasengan from his position in the air, timing it to where the clone would explode just as the attack hit…

And it did.

Ansei howled in anger and was thrown against the statue's feet at the base of the waterfall. Boruto landed to his feet and sighed deeply. There was no way Ansei had walked out of that without getting injured. Ansei didn't have time to build up medical ninjutsu in the attack spot. _He probably didn't even see it coming._ Boruto thought. He kept his distance from the blast site. He backed away slowly from the area.

As the smoke cleared, Boruto's eyes widened. The dust turned bright red and with a loud howl, the dust cleared, revealing the glowing Jinchuuriki and two tails whipping angrily behind him.

 _Author's Note: You can't correct me! That was the deal! This took longer than usual because I was trying to spot research Boruto's abilities. Hope you enjoyed! XD Oh, and I decided Ansei's Theme Song is_ I Found _by Amber Run!_


	14. See You Again

_Author's Note: There's a reason why this is under the "tragedy" genre, guys… I listened to See You Again on loop while writing this!_

 _Chapter 14: See You Again…_

Boruto stared at Ansei, his eyes wide. _How the heck am I supposed to fight that?!_ He thought. He did a mental check of his body. Despite the throbbing in his neck, he was otherwise uninjured; but he was running low on chakra. He had enough to last a while, but not enough to tire out a Jinchuuriki… and an angry one at that. Boruto hardly had time to make that thought before he was flying back and bouncing on the surface of the water. It was like rolling on concrete.

He bit down on his teeth and curled in a ball to roll with the punch. _Add a split lip to those injuries,_ Boruto thought as he came to a stop in the water. He stared up at the darkening sky and closed his eyes as the rain started. Boruto stood, facing Ansei. The Jinchuuriki howled at him and Boruto nodded. He had no idea what to do. He clenched his shaking fists and smiled slightly. _Guess there are worst ways to die,_ he thought.

As if he had heard Boruto's thoughts, Ansei lunged forward. Boruto turned around and ran. Letting Ansei near him would mean the end of him. The Jinchuuriki's speed had increased, keeping Boruto on his toes. He shook his head, trying to keep away from Ansei, but the Hyuuga wasn't letting him get away with fleeing. _What do I do?!_ Boruto thought frantically.

Using the fake out where he went under water would be stupid. Ansei would have learned that trick by now, and with his tails, Boruto could only imagine that ending with a lung full or water if it didn't end with a broken spine. He had to end this quick or he wouldn't survive. He spun around and threw his hands into the water, forming deadly water spouts underneath Ansei and also forming a large wall of water around him.

He heard Ansei scream, taken aback by the sudden attack. Suddenly, though, the screaming stopped and the water wall began to boil. Boruto's eyes widened and he released the jutsu, jumping into the air to avoid the scalding water that Ansei had heated up for him. The Jinchuuriki howled and lunged into the air after his prey. Boruto did a successful round kick to Ansei's face, sending him into the boiling inferno beneath them.

Boruto closed his eyes and did a series of hand signs. He felt the electricity above him and the water beneath him. He took a deep breath and channeled his chakra, raising a hand to channel the attack. He threw down his hand, pointing at Ansei just as natural lightning tore through the sky, adding to the attack. Boruto bit his lip as Ansei howled in pain. He was thrown into the waterfall. Boruto allowed himself to fall into the water, bouncing with the surface tension.

He looked at his hand that he had used to channel the lighting. It was burned. He winces as he tried to move it. Blood ran down his arm and disappeared in the water. He rolled over and stood on the water, swaying slightly. He looked to where Ansei had disappeared behind the waterfall and sighed. He turned and stumbled towards the shore, cradling his burned hand carefully. He didn't know how he'd explain this to Hinata. _Maybe this was better for him, anyway. He was never going to be truly happy here… or anywhere._

Boruto couldn't convince himself of that, though. He still felt terrible about what he had done. _I should have just let him go…_ Boruto stopped on the shore and took a deep, shaky breath in. He settled on his knees to catch him breath and to let the rain fall on him, washing his wounds.

Suddenly, Boruto felt the hair on his neck stand up. He stiffened and turned slowly. The waterfall was glowing bright red and Boruto's heart sunk. Ansei stepped out from the fall. He had a hole in his shoulder and his right arm hung uselessly at his side as blood poured from the wound. Three tails whipped angrily behind him and he stumbled forward. Boruto stood slowly, looking down at his own burnt hand. His whole body shook. _If that didn't work… then what will?_

* * *

" _Dad, will you teach me something today?" Boruto asked. He was around six at the time. Naruto turned to his son and smiled before biting into the blue Popsicle._

" _What do you want to learn?" Naruto asked with a chuckle. Boruto examined the stick in his hand before placing it in his mouth._

" _Everything!" he answered after a few moments of pondering._

" _Oh? Everything, hm?"_

" _Yeah!" Boruto said with a smile._

 _Naruto sighed. "That's a big order, young man," he said. "It'll take a long time to teach you everything!"_

" _Well, can we get started?"_

 _Naruto looked up at the night sky and smiled sweetly. "Not tonight."_

" _But dad!" Boruto whined. Naruto picked up the child and smiled._

" _Come on, you, bed time. You have school tomorrow."_

 _Boruto struggled against his father, but not too hard. "Will you teach me something tonight?" he asked finally. Naruto thought about this request as he walked into the child's room. He stayed silent even as he placed Boruto in his bed. Naruto settled down in the bed beside his son and sighed._

" _There's a lot to learn," he said finally, pulling Boruto close to him. He looked up at the ceiling. "Never give up."_

" _Hm?" Boruto asked. "That's a stupid lesson. I'd never give up!"_

 _Naruto hugged his son gently. "I know you won't… but there might be a day when you want to," he whispered._

" _I'd never!" Boruto protested. Naruto stroked the boy's blonde hair. Boruto groaned in annoyance, but settled against his father's chest._

" _Remember that attitude," Naruto warned him softly. "Life isn't always easy," He kissed Boruto on the head. "Don't lose that quality, Boruto."_

* * *

Boruto opened his eyes. _I won't, dad,_ was his answer that day. He would see his father and mother again. He would hold his sister again. This wasn't going to be the end of him. He ran towards Ansei. He created four more shadow clones that all rushed the Jinchuuriki.

He thought about it as he sent one clone to the left. Ansei, as predicted, dodged right, right into the waiting kick of one shadow clone. He was thrown to the north where the third clone waited. Boruto had one shot at this. He visualized the chakra networks. He had to block Ansei's chakra. His whole body shook violently. One wrong move and he was dead. Ansei would react in a second and he would be killed. Ansei spun at the fourth clone, howling angrily when he realized that it was just a clone, but it was too late. That spin to attack the final clone had positioned the real one behind him.

Boruto slammed the palm of his hand into Ansei's back, directly above his heart, sending the Jinchuuriki flying forward. He rolled on the water before stopping himself, but the glow receded. Boruto smiled with triumph. "Y-you!" Ansei growled angrily, stumbling a little.

 _This isn't over!_ Boruto thought. Ansei ran at him and the two engaged in a battle of kicks and punches. Both were at their chakra limits. Boruto hadn't successfully blocked all of Ansei's chakra, but it had been enough. Now they used what they had left to stay on top of the water.

The two fought like seasoned professionals. Both Hyuuga descendants had their own distinct style. While Ansei's style was more traditional, he was a power house. He wasn't as light on his feet as Boruto was. His attacks were broad and when he landed a hit, Boruto felt the years of muscle building behind them, often sending him stumbling backwards.

While Ansei was a power house, Boruto was as light of his feet as Ansei was powerful. Boruto, who had trained under his mother, knew the traditional forms, but he had modified them. While his attacks didn't usually send Ansei stumbling back, his hits were far more subtle. He was whittling away at Ansei. Unlike Ansei's attacks, which were designed to attempt to defeat the opponent in as little moves as possible, Boruto's attacks were lighter; kinder. One wouldn't even realize the damage he had done until it was too late.

At this point, that was his strategy. Ansei finally stumbled back, breaking their odd dance under the downpour rain. Boruto ran at him and they began again. The water was their stage as their movements perfectly complimented each other. The lightning lit their movements and the thunder and rain provided a soundtrack to their dance.

It was Boruto's turn to break away. He ran through the sleet until he came to the shore. He spun around as Ansei ran up to him. Boruto lifted a palm and Ansei lifted two fingers. Boruto thrusted his palm forward as Ansei did the same with his attack, but it never connected. The Jinchuuriki was sent flying backwards. He rolled onto the shore, coming to a halt. He stood. The rain washed the blood out of his hair. Boruto smiled slightly. "Now…" he said as he took a step forward. "Can we _please_ ta-"

He never finished the sentence.

Blood poured from his mouth instead of words.

Boruto's eyes went wide and he dropped to his hands and knees. He gasped for air through the blood that worked its way into his airway. "H-how…?" he gasped. He could barely see through the tremors. "Y-you missed!"

"Sky Palms… Chakra Scalpel," Ansei explained. "I sliced your lung and heart open."

Boruto struggled to his feet. He couldn't believe it. He had calculated everything perfectly. He had timed it all! He lurched forward awkwardly.

"What else can you do, Boruto?" Ansei asked smugly. "You have a mere few minutes before you bleed out." Boruto didn't listen. This _wasn't_ over. If he was going to die here, then he wouldn't die without saving Ansei from himself. "Just let yourself rest, kid."

Boruto opened his mouth, but couldn't speak for a moment. His knees buckled and he fell hard on the stone floor. He tried to answer, but whenever he opened his mouth, blood bubbled out before the words could. "You…" Boruto managed finally, struggling to his hands and knees. "You aren't… the monster… you think you are…" He collapsed again. Ansei took a step back, his eyes wide. "I… won't give up… on you."

"What is wrong with you?" Ansei snarled. "Why are you doing this?"

Boruto turned his eyes to Ansei. He smiled slightly. "N-no one… deserves the _hell_ … you've endured," he gasped. He struggled to get on his hands and knees again, but his arms wouldn't hold his weight. He fell with a sickening splash. "I wanted… to make a difference," he whimpered. "Maybe it was selfish. I wanted you to realize that you weren't alone…" He coughed and more blood came up. He clenched his fists, shaking violently.

Ansei shook his head. "You shouldn't have cared about me!" he cried. "You should have given up like everyone else!"

"Probably," Boruto admitted. "B-but… I just couldn't."

Ansei took another step back. "Why not?!" he screamed. "Why did you push yourself for _me?!_ I'm not worth this!"

"Yes… you are," Boruto whimpered. He closed his eyes and shuddered. "I lived a good life… I have a mother and father… who love me… a sister who I cherish… a village…" Boruto coughed and curled on the ground. "I took… it all for granted… And I saw you," he continued, "and I realized how _stupid_ I've been… I don't deserve what I have." He closed his eyes. "I never did… But you… _you_ do… I wanted to give you a better life… a chance… to be… happy…"

Ansei blinked as his tears mingled with the rain on his face. "But…"

"No!" Boruto snapped his eyes open. "Stop! You deserve everything!"

"I'm a monster!" Ansei retorted.

"That they created," Boruto retorted.

"You don't know anything about what I've been through!"

"No… I don't," Boruto admitted. "I can't imagine the pain you've endured… But you're still here!"

Ansei stared down at Boruto, his eyes wide. Boruto smiled at him through the pain. "You… believe in me…?" he whimpered. "You don't think I'm a monster?"

"Of course not," Boruto assured him. "You are a good person, Ansei, with a bright future…" He closed his eyes and suddenly went into convulsions. Ansei's eyes widened and he hurried to the boy's side, pushing him onto his back. He quickly did hand signs to try and heal the damage he had done.

"I'll make this right!" he promised the boy. Boruto smiled, but he had blocked Ansei's chakra flow. He still could use some chakra, but not enough to stop the bleeding and then replace all the blood. Ansei seemed to have realized this, because after a moment, his eyes widened. He stumbled back.

"Go… and live your life," Boruto whispered.

Ansei shook his head. He walked away from Boruto and stopped, turning back to the boy. "You made me realize something, Boruto." He whispered. "I _am_ a monster." Boruto shook his head. "You were an innocent child… and I couldn't let you in. I let my hatred control me."

"Ansei…" Boruto gasped. He tried to roll over.

"You're right about one thing. No one deserves the hell I've lived through, but I'm a hypocrite. I wanted to make the world worse. The only way the world can be better…" His hand began glowing a different color.

"Ansei!" Boruto shouted weakly.

"…Is without me." He placed hand glowing hand over his heart. His eyes widened before his knees buckled and he crashed to the ground.

Boruto closed his eyes. "Damn you!" he screamed, but not to Ansei, but to the Hyuuga clan that had brought them to this place. He struggled to his feet, holding his burning chest. He stumbled forward, lurching awkwardly towards Ansei's body. Boruto stared down at the boy and cried. "You… idiot…"

He fell down beside the Hyuuga. He didn't even feel his head crash into the stone. He rolled over to his back and stared up at the sky. Tears mixed with the rain. _I failed…_ he thought sadly. _At least I got to tell dad and mom I love them._ He closed his eyes. _At least… I tried. Are you proud, daddy? Did I do well? I don't feel the pain anymore…_ He thought, for some reason, that dying without pain would make his dad feel better. He opened his eyes to look at the clouds as they passed over him. Lightning lit the sky up.

Boruto blinked slowly. _Daddy…_ he thought.

" _Come on, you…"_ a voice whispered; a distant memory. _"Bed time…"_

Boruto blinked again, forcing his eyes open, but only managing half-way. _"But I'm not sleepy…"_ a child's voice protested. There was a gentle, comforting chuckle. Boruto suddenly felt warmth spread through his body like a blanket. His eyes slid closed, unable to stay open any longer.

" _Sure you aren't…"_ Naruto's voice whispered. Boruto thought he felt a kiss on his forehead. _"I'll see you in the morning, kiddo… Good night, Boruto…"_

 _World I_

"I got it!" the inventor shouted, throwing his fist in the air. Naruto jumped up. He already had a clone building up Sage chakra so that he could get in there, find his son's chakra, and get out without any more delay.

"I would like to come this time," Sasuke said. "I may not be able to get _to_ this world, but I can get us back, right?"

"Most likely," the inventor said.

"I don't care if he comes!" Naruto snapped. "Let's go!"

Hinata looked like she wanted to go, but both the mothers had already decided to stay just in case the men didn't come back for one reason or the other. The inventor nodded slowly and opened the portal. Naruto turned to Sasuke and the two jumped through, only to find themselves in the middle of Konoha as the rain ripped the sky. The riots had only gotten worse. Hyuuga and Uchiha were righting in the streets. Sasuke's eyes widened. "We have to stop this!"

"We have to find my son!" Naruto snapped. "You can go find Itachi if you want!" His clone vanished and he took in the Sage chakra, casting out his senses. He gasped.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. He couldn't feel Boruto's chakra… anywhere. He searched for it, spreading his reach outside the village and to its limits, but still, he didn't feel the chakra. He felt a single trail leading out to the Valley, but he didn't feel a source of the chakra. It just… ended. "I don't feel him!" Naruto shouted over the rain.

"What?!"

Naruto didn't want to answer. He jumped down into the streets and fled. He wasn't looking where he was going and ran directly into someone. He lifted his head and blinked at the person he had run in to. "Hinata…?" he asked, his eyes wide. She looked so different here, especially in her monk's clothes. He turned and blinked at the person beside her. "Neji…?"

"Naruto," Hinata greeted. "Please tell me you've seen Ansei!"

Naruto blinked and shook his head. He looked down at her for a moment. "N-no. I was hoping you had," he muttered, trying to come up with something to explain what was happening. "What's going on?"

"The Uchiha are doing when they should have done a long time ago!" Hinata snapped.

"Naruto-san, why are you wearing a Hokage cloak…?" Neji asked. Naruto looked at his soaked cloak.

"No reason…" he muttered. "I-I have to find my son!"

"Last I saw, Tai was with Sakura."

 _Not that son!_ Naruto thought, but he managed a smile. "Good. They're safe, then! I… I gotta go!"

He pushed past the two Hyuuga. Sasuke hurried after him, nodding in greeting to both Hinata and Neji. "What kind of place is this?"

"Don't know, don't care," Naruto snapped. He tore off out of the gates. He ran as fast as he could, even tapping into the fox's chakra to boost his speed. There was only one way that he wouldn't be able to feel his son's chakra. Naruto shook his head. He refused to believe that!

It didn't take him long to find himself at the top of the cliff. His eyes widened as he recognized the familiar head of hair on the bottom. Naruto leapt from the top, landing with a jarring thud, but he didn't even skip a beat. He ran to his son and slid down to his knees. "Boruto…?" he whispered. Neither child was moving. Naruto reached down, to try and feel a pulse in his son, but his hand was shaking too much.

He rested his head on Boruto's chest and his heart dropped. It was silent. "Boruto!" Naruto shouted. Lightning tore through the sky and thunder drowned out his screams. "Oh god, no…" Naruto begged as he lifted the limp form of his child in his arms. His whole body shook violently and he screamed as he hugged the child, rocking back and forth.

His eyes snapped opened after a moment. "Give him back!" he shouted to the sky; to whatever was out there listening, but his only answer was the rolling thunder.

"Naruto…" Sasuke muttered, standing several meters away from his friend. Naruto ignored Sasuke in his grief. Sasuke walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke looked down at the child in Naruto's arms and bit his lip. He closed his eyes and then activated his Sharingan. If Naruto was going to be in hysterics, then perhaps knocking him out for a bit would be better for him.

Sasuke gasped. "Naruto!"

"Go away!" Naruto shouted.

"He's still alive!" Sasuke snapped. Naruto's eyes flew open. "He's still alive. It's faint, but it's there." Naruto had deactivated Sage mode upon finding his child. Boruto's chakra was so faint that he hadn't felt it at all. Naruto stood, cradling the child in his arms. "What about the other one?"

Naruto looked down at the black and whited haired child and sighed. Half of him, the selfish half, knew that this boy had done this to his child and he wanted him to be left here… But then he thought about Hinata in this world. This was her son. There was a chance he could be saved as well, if he wasn't already dead. Sasuke didn't report his condition. "Bring him" was all Naruto said as he took off with Boruto in his arms. He hugged the child tightly as he ran back towards Konoha.

The trip back felt like it took forever, even though he probably covered the distance in less time than he had leaving. Naruto didn't even stop as he ran through the riot-torn village. He didn't know who knew medical ninjutsu in this twisted reality, and he didn't really care. He should have asked Sasuke to send them back, but they didn't have time for a mistake that might have sent them to some desolate place without a hospital.

He ran into the hospital. "I need a doctor!" he shouted over to commotion. There was, of course, a large amount of people that were seeking medical attention.

"Yeah, you and everyone else," an Uchiha snapped. He had a towel over a head wound as he waited for medical attention.

Naruto ran to a nurse. "My son is dying!" he snapped, ignoring to the Uchiha. Naruto longed for the brief time that he could heal with one touch. He had been trying to give Boruto chakra the entire run, but he wasn't healing major cardiac arrest and a collapsed lung.

The nurse turned to the man and his son and nodded. She called for a gurney and Boruto was taken away. Naruto ran after them. He never wanted Boruto out of his sight again. He was stopped, however, at the operating room. "You need to wait out here, sir," the woman snapped. Naruto narrowed his eyes and was about to protest, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Sasuke, who had dropped off his own package, was beside him.

"He'll be fine, Naruto…" Sasuke muttered. Naruto pulled away from Sasuke and went back to the waiting room. He began pacing and didn't stop until the storm outside had settled and the sun started to rise. Boruto was still in surgery.

"Sit down, Naruto…" Sasuke grumbled. Naruto glared at the Uchiha. Sasuke returned the glare. "Sit… down…" he repeated firmly.

Naruto complied. He was exhausted and his throat was raw from crying. He buried his head in his hands, crying softly in them. "Excuse me…" a voice whispered. Naruto froze. It sounded so familiar. He lifted his bloodshot eyes to the speaker and gasped. It was like staring at a shadow clone… only different. This one was less worn… "Are you… Boruto's father?" the man asked. Naruto nodded slowly at his otherworldly counterpart. Sasuke blinked and looked between the two.

A doctor stepped between those two and looked at the Hokage. "You brought that boy in?" he asked. Naruto nodded, standing up. He had been prepared to meet his double. It didn't interest him.

"Can I… see him…?"

The doctor sighed deeply. Naruto's heart dropped and he stiffened as the doctor sent dread through him with the next six words… words no person ever wanted to hear… "We did everything we could, but…"

 _Author's Note: CLIFF HANGER! O.O Fear it!_


	15. In the Praise of Demons

_Author's Note: I've always imagined that Naruto has an unforgivable sin… I mean, he can't forgive_ everybody, _right? He has to have a breaking point…_

 _Chapter Fifteen: In the Praise of Demons_

" _Dad…?" Boruto whimpered. He opened his eyes and was greeted by nothing but white. He shut his eyes with a moan and rolled over. There was no pain in his chest. He coughed and looked beneath him, but the ground was white as well. He looked around, but there was no difference between the wall and the floor. There was nothing. "Am I… dead…?"_

" _Yes," a voice answered. It echoed. Boruto jumped and sat up, but he didn't see the one who had spoken to him. "You have caused a lot of problems, child."_

 _Boruto scoffed and crossed his arms. "This isn't a very funny joke."_

" _No, it's not. But you_ did _die, child. You have… disrupted the balance of this world."_

 _Boruto stood and looked around. "I can't be dead," he growled._

" _Oh? And why is that? Are you too important to die?"_

" _I'm still talking," Boruto retorted._

" _Yes, well, death has no bearings to those who are already dead. The afterlife is an odd place, child."_

 _Boruto narrowed his eyes. "I can't be dead! I have to save Ansei! I have to see my dad again! Let me go home!"_

" _That is quite impossible," the voice answered sadly. An elderly man stepped out of the white background. Boruto blinked at the man. "You have died, and that is all there is to say of that matter."_

" _Then why am I here?" Boruto growled. "Where's the rest of the afterlife? Why do I get to see you? Are you the gatekeeper of heaven or something?"_

 _The elder smiled warmly at the child, but Boruto glared harder. The smile was sad. "You pose an interesting challenge for the 'gatekeeper of heaven'," he admitted slowly. "You are not of_ this _world, therefore your spirit does not belong to this afterlife… but you died in our world."_

" _I don't see the problem," Boruto muttered, "other than being dead!"_

 _The man sighed and sat down on nothing, but he still remained afloat. "This would not be a problem, but you have seemed to have caused a shift in the balance. You were not part of the plan." Boruto cocked his head and the man sighed. "The world, child, is an interesting place, full of checks and balances to prevent it from staying the same."_

 _Boruto sat down and crossed his arms. "I don't get it," he grumbled._

 _The man sighed. "Of course you do not, child. Think of it like a balance, with peace on one side and chaos on the other side. When the balance is in favor of peace, then most people are happy; but the world is never static. It is always changing. The scale is slowly tilted until the world reaches an equilibrium of peace and chaos. Those who live in peace are under the illusion that the world itself is at peace. It stays in this for quite some time, sometimes shifting more towards one or the other, but not enough for the people of the world to want to change their circumstances."_

 _Boruto frowned and looked up, annoyed. He thought death would be different, but it was just like being in school again._

" _In order to restore peace, there must be an event that completely throws the world in to chaos," the elder continued. "This event is meant to give the world a common enemy and then the world will work together to restore peace. Your friend, Ansei, was meant to be that event."_

 _Boruto narrowed his eyes. "What?"_

" _It is merely his destiny; to be raised in hate and then to rise up to destroy the world. However, we did not plan on_ you _showing up and changing this…"_

 _Boruto scoffed. "So much for an all-knowing god," he grumbled._

" _I never said I was a god, child," the man retorted. "Now, there is a matter of what to do about your spirit. Unfortunately, the dimensions of the afterlife are not connected. Your spirit will remain here, it seems, as you have no place in this world's afterlife."_

 _Boruto blinked. "You're just going to leave me here?" he snapped. "Alone?!"_

" _I have no choice, child. I am sorry but something must be done to make sure the world finds balance."_

 _The man stood and started walking away. "Wait a second!" Boruto shouted. "Who's to decide what he becomes?! Do we not have free will?"_

 _The elder sighed. "That is a loaded question, child… but everything happens for a reason. We do not deny this, but we also do not make apologies for what must be done. Humanity is a cursed race that must be reminded periodically of the suffering they cause other people. My descendants have created what Ansei will become. I am ashamed of their treatment of that boy, but I can do nothing to stop what has already been set in motion."_

 _Boruto glared at the old man. "Do you not care about them?" he growled. "About anything that goes on there?! Do you just watch?"_

" _I observe, yes," he answered, "but I try not to interfere… not until I am needed."_

" _Where were you when he needed_ someone _to save him?"_

" _Alone… as you will be for all of eternity."_

" _You can't just leave me here!" Boruto screamed, but the man disappeared, leaving the child alone in the white room. Boruto ran after him, but quickly found that running got him nowhere. No matter where he ran, he got nowhere. Nothing changed. Boruto sat down and curled up in a ball._

 _No, death was not complicated… "It's just lonely." Boruto whimpered as his voice cracked._

* * *

"We did all we could, but the damage to his heart and lung was too extensive and he had lost too much blood due to internal bleeding. He died on the table."

Naruto hardly heard the doctor as he went on to explain what had happened. Naruto pushed passed the doctor before he finished his mini-speech and he went to where his son was, lying dead on a table. Naruto stared down at the child, his eyes brimming with tears, but they did not fall. Naruto reached down and shook Boruto's shoulder, but there was no movement and his son's skin was cold to the touch.

Naruto slowly stroked Boruto's hair. He felt like throwing up. "I let this happen…" he whispered. "I shouldn't have yelled at you! I shouldn't have ignored you! I should have been the father I never got to have! I'm so sorry, Boruto!" His voice cracked and tears fell down his face.

"Naruto…" Sasuke muttered from the door. Naruto didn't even move to acknowledge the other presence. Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's shoulder, rubbing it gently. Naruto knew the boy had no words for this. He could say that at least Naruto still had a family waiting for him on the other side of that portal, but that wouldn't make the man feel any better. Nothing could make this okay.

"U-um…" a voice whimpered from the door way. Sasuke gasped and gripped Naruto's shoulder. Naruto looked up and he growled. Ansei stood in the doorway. His suicide attempt this time had been thwarted by the Kyuubi and medical professionals.

"You!" Naruto shouted. He ran at the young Hyuuga and slammed him against the wall.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, but Naruto didn't hear him. He squeezed the child's throat.

"You killed my son!" Naruto screamed. Ansei struggled against the man. Naruto had an amazing capacity to forgive, but there was only so much a man could take. Killing his child was beyond even his ability. "You murdered him!"

"I-I know," Ansei gasped, clawing at Naruto's arm to try and get away. "Pl-please! I didn't mean it!"

"How do you accidently _kill_ someone?" Naruto retorted. Sasuke opened his mouth, but wisely decided not to bring up Kakashi and Rin in this situation.

Naruto dropped Ansei and went to punch him, but Sasuke grabbed his arm. "What will that do, Naruto?" he snapped. "Will killing that kid bring Boruto back?"

"You're one to talk," Naruto snapped at Sasuke.

"I just wanted to say good-bye," Ansei whimpered softly. "And to apologize."

"Apologizing won't bring him back either," Naruto snapped.

"No, it won't," Ansei admitted sadly. "I can't fix this, Naruto-sen—Naruto-san… But he believed in my capacity to be a good person." Naruto looked up as the Naruto from that world and Hinata came into the room. "Mom… Sensei…" Ansei whimpered. Hinata moved to her son and hugged him and the two orange clad ninja watched; one sadly, one with anger and hatred in his eyes. Naruto turned back to his own son and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

Ansei moved to the bed and placed a hand on Boruto's arm. Naruto gave the boy a warning glance, but was ignored. The two Jinchuuriki could go toe-to-toe if the time came, though Ansei wouldn't last long in a fight. Ansei closed his eyes, but didn't speak. He had no words anymore. Naruto watched the child angrily. His body shook. "Get out," he growled. He stood and put his hands on his son's chest. He refused to believe that Boruto would die like this.

"I'd listen to him if I were you," Sasuke muttered. Ansei nodded and backed away from the bed. "Naruto... He's gone," the Uchiha grumbled.

"Shut up," Naruto snapped. His body began to glow. He wasn't a medical ninja, but Kurama could heal. He had shared the fox before. If he could _just_ get Boruto's heart beating, then Sakura could do the rest. "Come...on!" he hissed "I hope you're all happy," he snapped. "You let it get this bad! How did you all let it get this bad?! You have your own villagers killing each other in the streets!" Again, Sasuke decided to keep his mouth shut about their world not being the picture of peace and serenity either.

Ansei bowed his head in shame and walked out, too shaken to care. Hinata followed after her son to comfort him. They had let it get this bad and they had no one to blame but themselves.

"Come back...!" Naruto hissed, pumping more and more chakra in as he did.

"Naruto..."

"Help me, or shut up!"

Sasuke sighed and came over, his hand sparking. He'd do anything to let Naruto feel he'd tried everything. Naruto lifted his hand as Sasuke placed the sparking hand over the boy's damaged heart. Electricity coursed through his body. His muscles tightened, then fell limp. Naruto added more of the fox into the body, and they repeated the process. For a brief moment, all was still as Naruto held his breath, praying that it would work... Just this once.

The boy gasped. "D-dad...?" Boruto whimpered weakly. "T-the old man..." He coughed. "Said I could come home..."

Naruto hugged his son, ignoring his words, and turned to Sasuke. "Let's go. We don't have a lot of time..."

The Uchiha nodded. He turned to the other Naruto and offered him a soft smile before they left. "Our version of this world isn't perfect either," he whispered. Naruto scoffed. Sasuke turned to Naruto and the two vanished.

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself standing in the room where they had left. He looked at Sakura, pleading as he offered her his child. Sakura was by their side in a moment. Naruto laid the child on the ground so that Sakura could work to finish what the doctors in the other world had started. Naruto stood with Hinata and held her hand.

"Will he be okay…?" Hinata asked quietly.

"The damage is extensive," Sakura reported, "but if he's still breathing, then I should be able to reverse the damage."

Naruto bit his lip. The old man said he could come home. "What old man…?" Naruto asked, but not loud enough to be heard by anyone. He turned to the inventor. "I want you to destroy that Sharingan."

"What?" the man said.

"I don't want this world to collide with that one again." He clenched his fists.

"Of course… As you wish," the inventor said. He dropped the metal Sharingan on the ground and stomped it, cutting off all connections with that world.

As they days after their return went by, Boruto continued to recover. When Naruto asked him about the old man that had sent him back, but Boruto claimed the old man didn't give his name. All he could say about it was the man possessed the Byakugan and he had let Boruto come back because he had unfinished business to take care of...

"Dad," Boruto muttered. It had been almost a week and he would be ready to go home the next day. "Did Ansei die?" Naruto bowed his head. In his rage, he had wanted to kill the young Hyuuga that had hurt his son. He was ashamed of himself now, and even more so now that he knew he couldn't go back and try to make things right in that world.

"No," he said finally. "I'm pretty sure he was alive when we left."

"Can I go back?" Boruto asked.

Naruto smiled softly. "No, Boruto. We destroyed the pathway from that world to this one."

"But why?"

"To keep you safe," Naruto whispered. He stroked his son's hair. "I know what it means to drive yourself near mad trying to save someone who doesn't want to be saved. You did well, Boruto. He was back in the village when we left and seemed to have been accepted by his mother and sensei." He missed the child on the forehead. "I'm sure things will start to look up in that world…"

 _World II_

Ansei stared at the wall, his eyes narrowed. Naruto's words haunted him… they rang in his head, making him want to scream. The Hyuuga had locked him up. He was deemed "too dangerous" and needed to be "rehabilitated" and "socialized." They talked about him like he was an animal. He was their last bargaining chip with the village. They still "owned" him. He was still "there's" and as long as they had him, the village let the Hyuuga Clan live without much punishment. Hiashi was dead, as was the High Elder, but that didn't stop the other elders from keeping their claim in the Jinchuuriki. Hanabi fought with the elders about releasing Ansei, but the boy had murdered Hiashi, and he needed to be punished… disciplined… caged.

There were claw marks on the wooden wall. Ansei's fingers were bloodied, but the blood had long since dried. They weren't feeding him and any attempt to escape the room left him writhing in pain as they used the mark on him. There was a process happening outside. Obito and many others were negotiating his release. Obito had even tried to suggest that the punishment for his crimes would be handled by the village. Anywhere was better than the hole they had put him in. The Hyuuga refused, of course. The Jinchuuriki, according to the agreement they had created when he was given the fox, was there's. He was, literally, their property and the village wasn't allowed to interfere with any internal problems that arose due to the fox. It was long way of saying that if Ansei killed a Hyuuga, the Hyuuga dealt with it. Since he had killed Hiashi, he had initiated that contract and now he wasn't allowed to leave the compound. He was the Hyuuga's problem and no one else had a say in what he did.

He grabbed his hair. That was his _life!_ Everyone tried to control him! He pulled at his hair until he let out a yelp of pain.

"Pathetic."

"Leave me alone!" Ansei growled, but there was no one there.

There was a laugh. "You're pathetic, Ansei! You want change, yet you do nothing but cry!" Ansei pulled at his hair harder, ripping out fine strands.

"Shut up…"

"Why should I? You have no control on your life. All you do is complain and whine about your circumstances! You're _nothing_ , Ansei! And you will never be anything if you continue to sit in the cage you've built yourself!"

Ansei cried out, swinging at the entity that didn't exist. Boruto was dead and he had been the one to kill the blonde. He slammed his fist into the wall, growling at the pain.

"That's it! Be the animal they all believe you are!" the voice taunted. Ansei clawed at the wall with a loud snarl. "I overestimated you! I was actually worried you could let someone in your life! You destroy everything you touch, Ansei! You killed that boy when all he wanted to do was help you!" The voice laughed at Ansei, fueling his rage. "You will only hurt people! That's all you're good for!"

Ansei spun and punched the wall. It shattered. He blinked and looked at the moonlit courtyard outside his prison. "Free…?" he whimpered.

"So it seems," the voice whispered. Ansei looked around him. No one was there. They didn't bother. Their little pet had been relatively compliant after the entire incident. "What will you do with this freedom, nii-san?"

Ansei reached to his head and removed his headband and the bandages that hid the curse mark on his head. "I won't hurt people anymore," he vowed.

"I wise choice. Where will we go?"

"As far away from here as possible." He dropped the headband and was gone before it hit the ground. His feet didn't stop as he ran out of the village and as far away from it as possible. The days went by, but he still never stopped. He stopped running after a while, but kept walking until his feet could carry him no more.

With an exhausted gasp, he dropped to his knees, gripping the grass. He was outside the Land of Fire, but beyond that, he had no idea where he had ended up. It was all blind fleeing. "Good job, Ansei… You're lost," he grumbled. He paused for a moment, waiting for his sarcastic alter ego to agree with him, but he was only met with silence. Ansei groaned and stood on his shaky legs. He pulled energy from the Bijuu inside of him and continued walking.

He wasn't sure how long his silent walk lasted, but eventually not even the fox within him could combat his hunger and exhaustion. He dropped to his hands and knees, coughing softly. He reached to his side where he was keeping a homemade canteen and dumped what was left of the water in his mouth, but that did little to quench his thirst.

"Maybe this is better," he grumbled. He pulled out a kunai from his pouch, one he had found along the way. It was rusted and old, but it would do its job. He stared at the weapon and bit his lip. If only he hadn't been stopped all those years ago after he tried to kill his cousin… "All this could have been avoided." Ansei whimpered. He hugged himself and let the tears he had been holding in come. He had murdered too many people for this to be okay. He gripped the weapon tightly. He wouldn't fail this time.

"Why do you weep, child?"

Ansei stiffened. The voice wasn't familiar. It wasn't _his_ voice. It was someone else. He wiped his eyes quickly. "G-go away," he whimpered.

"I merely am asking your well-being," the voice said. Ansei deduced that whoever was talking was male. "Why do you weep?"

Ansei shook his head. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"One who is about to plunge a kunai in their chest is often not weeping for simple reasons," the man commented in a matter-of-fact tone. "And is often not fine."

"Well, I'm fine," Ansei snapped.

"I do not believe that. Why do you wish to kill yourself? Surely there are better ways."

 _Maybe he'll kill me if he learns the truth,_ Ansei reasoned. "My village has forsaken me… Or I have forsaken them. I am an animal… a monster."

"I see. Do you believe their words, child?"

"I do," Ansei admitted. "I am nothing more than a monster."

"Is that such a bad thing, then?" Ansei's eyes widened. "You say you are a monster, and they call you one. Why do you wish to deny what you truly are?"

"I don't _want_ to be a monster," Ansei growled.

"Why ever not?"

Ansei blinked. He had never been asked that question before. Whenever he used that argument, the person he was talking to reassured him. They told him that he _wasn't_ a monster, but this man had asked him an interesting question… One he had never considered.

"Monsters are powerful creatures that are respected and fear by humanity. Why would you want to deny what you are, especially when what you are inspires awe in those who are weaker?"

Ansei began to shake. He had never thought of it like that. He had been trying his whole life to avoid becoming a monster. "I just want to be normal."

"Normal is boring," the man answered. "Normal gets nothing done. You said your village had forsaken you… Why do you not make them suffer?"

Ansei shook his head and stared at the weapon in his hand. "I don't want anyone to suffer anymore," he answered. "I wanted to make the world a better place."

The man moved to stand in front of Ansei. The boy looked up at him. He was wearing a long, hooded brown and red cloak with a faceless mask. "A better place, you say?" Ansei could almost hear the grin the man had donned. "Pray tell, how did you plan on doing that?"

Ansei bowed his head. "I… don't know," he admitted.

"At least you can admit your failures."

"Yeah," Ansei grumbled.

"You lack focus. Even in your weakened state, I can tell that you are indeed a monster with power that is unimaginable… but whoever trained you had no respect for the raw talent within you." Ansei nodded slowly. "What is your goal, child?"

Ansei sighed deeply. "To make the world better," he muttered.

"You lack focus," the man repeated. "Tell me again. What is your goal?"

Ansei closed his eyes and gripped the grass beneath him. What was his goal? He had told Boruto that he wanted a world where children didn't have to suffer for the mistakes of their parents. "I want to create a world where kids like me won't exist," he said after a moment. "A world where people don't have to suffer… where monsters aren't created."

The man chuckled softly. "Good," he said. Ansei noted the change in his voice. "I will train you." Ansei blinked. "You have the talent to achieve you goal. I can give you the power and focus. I will help make your dream a reality." Ansei's eyes widened. No one had ever told him they would _help_ him. They had only ever told him what he would do. He looked up at the man, his eyes full of hope. "Together, we will create a world where people do not have to kneel alone to contemplate their own suicide. We will end all pain in this world. No one will ever suffer as you have, child—no one."

Ansei nodded, practically mesmerized by the man's words. The man squatted before the child reached a black hand to wipe the tears from Ansei's face. Ansei felt a shiver from the touch. The man wasn't natural. His flesh was cold. The man stood and reached down. Ansei reached up and took the man's hand. The stood together for a moment.

"What is your name, child?"

"Ansei… Well, that's not the name I was born with…"

"I like it," the man interrupted. "'Tranquil government.' It is fitting." He turned and started walking away. Ansei followed like a lamb would follow his shepherd—to the slaughter—blindly and without the foresight needed to understand what was actually happening.

"What is your name?" Ansei asked after a few moments.

The man stopped and turned to his new lamb. He removed his faceless mask, revealing dead yellow eyes and dark flesh. He smiled. "My name is Zetsu."

 _Author's note: So, yeah… I WAS going to end here and then move on to a sequel, but I realized that this story has a good following and I don't want to lose readers, so I'll just continue under this story. Besides the name_ What You Wish For _definitely fits the second half of this story! So… Time skip and all that jazz next chapter!_

 _BTW, if any of my lovely followers is an artist, I'd love to change the cover art for this fic… Also, I realized I pulled a pretty big Deus-Ex-Machina in this chapter... That'll be explained later, I promise! It does actually play into the story!_


	16. Collide

_Author's Note: Here we are! MAJOR Time skip! Like… A lot of years! Let's go, shall we?_

 _Chapter Sixteen: Collide_

 _Six Years Later…_

 _World One_

"Target spotted…" Boruto nodded slowly. "Keep an eye out. She'll be on you in thirty seconds, Boruto."

"Got it," Boruto hissed into the communicator. A woman was walking slowly down the path, twirling a kunai in her hand.

"Get ready…" Boruto gripped his own kunai and narrowed his eyes. "Wait!" the voice on the other end snapped. "Abort! We've got company! Do not engage! I repeat, do _not_ engage the enemy! We will regroup."

"I've got this," Boruto snapped.

"Don't you dare! Fall back, Boruto!"

"I said I've got this, Mitsuki," Boruto answered.

"Boruto! You get back—"Boruto pulled out the com in his ear and sighed. The woman was coming closer and he narrowed his eyes. Mitsuki wouldn't dare jeopardize the mission to stop him from going rogue.

 _Dad's gonna kill me,_ he thought with a smirk. _Ah well. Wouldn't be the first time!_ He waited for the woman. He could practically feel Mitsuki glaring at him. The young man had a death stare that was for sure. Boruto tensed as she passed directly underneath him. He lunged, but she wouldn't be an S-Ranked criminal if it was _that_ easy to attack her. She swung her kunai, but Boruto dodged expertly.

"You're cute," she said with a grin.

"Thanks, but not interested," Boruto retorted. He looked her over and went over her file in his head. Master of genjutsu… Known as a Siren to anyone who encountered her. She would have been a low-life criminal had she not attempted to assassinate a Kage and then escaped from Hōzuki Castle.

"Three more in the bushes. Seems like _you_ attacked out of turn."

Boruto shrugged.

"Fools die young," the woman hissed.

"So I've noticed," Boruto answered. He sighed deeply and she lunged towards him. He jumped back, aiming a kick towards her. She changed directions and swung her weapon at his leg. He hissed, but let the attack come and instead kicked back to her, pushing through the pain.

Suddenly a blue blur appeared behind her. Boruto groaned as his partner wrapped his arm around her throat, stopping just before snapping her neck. She went limp. "That was stupid," Mitsuki snapped.

"I had it handled," Boruto snapped.

"No you didn't. She was preparing a genjutsu." The pale, blue-haired man poked his friend on the forehead. "You may be smart, but not even you can fight off that strong of genjutsu."

Boruto narrowed his eyes, but dropped the expression when the rest of the squad came. "So, who was the company?"

"Bandits," one of the men said. "They decided not to get involved in a ninja fight."

Boruto smiled through his wolf mask and turned to Mitsuki. Even if he wore a mask as well, Boruto could see that he wasn't pleased with Boruto's attitude. "You still could have gotten us killed," he grumbled. "They could have been back up." One of the remaining members picked up their target. "What am I going to tell your father?"

"You could tell him that the mission was a success…" Boruto suggested. "And leave out the detail about me going rogue."

Mitsuki sighed deeply. "I cannot."

"You _could."_

"I cannot."

"But you could."

"I cannot."

Boruto groaned and followed his friend. He had been out of the village for a month tracking that woman and he was ready to get home. "Dad is going to kill me."

"Most likely," Mitsuki said with a shrug. The two stayed silent the rest of the way back to the village. Boruto sighed and bowed his head. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about Ansei and the world on the other side. He knew his father would prefer that Boruto forget what happened over there, but he couldn't. After Mitsuki gave his report to the Hokage, Boruto stepped into the office, ready to face the yelling that he was surely going to be subjected to.

"You could have gotten your entire team killed," Naruto snapped. Boruto sighed and sat down.

"But I didn't."

"I'm not messing around, Boruto. When your squad leader says to fall back, you _need_ to fall back. You are invincible."

Boruto nodded. "We already figured that out…"

Naruto frowned, but then smiled. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Well, having me in general seems to be where."

"Yes, that seems to be the first mistake," Naruto teased. Boruto laughed. "Oh, your sister is coming home from her mission soon. We're having dinner together, okay?"

"Don't you have a meeting?" Boruto asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I did, but I moved it to tomorrow. Your mother has a mission tomorrow and then Himawari's team is off to the Land of Waves. This is the first time in a couple months that all our schedules work out that we have a night off. We're taking advantage of it."

Boruto smiled. "Will do!" he promised. "I don't have a mission for a while, right?"

"Not unless war breaks out," Naruto said with a slight smile.

"Awesome! Then I'll see you later!" He started for the door.

"Boruto." The boy stopped. "Good job today, kiddo." Boruto waved and slipped out of the door. He smiled to himself. It would be good to see his sister again. They hadn't seen each other in a month and he was ready for their family to get together. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his ANBU uniform and walked down the hall.

"I see you survived," Mitsuki said with a grin.

"Yeah. Hokage-sama is a push-over once you get to know him," Boruto teased.

"That's good. Where are you heading now, hm?"

"To visit Setsuzoku," Boruto admitted.

Mitsuki followed his friend, but eyed him dangerously with his golden eyes. "You want to go back, don't you?" Boruto nodded. "Didn't your father forbid it?"

"I'm an adult now," he reasoned. "Dad can't prevent me from going back anymore. He said he's almost done, anyway."

"I'd like to see this other world," Mitsuki said. "I told father about it when I visited him last."

"Oh? How is Orochimaru?"

"Bored," Mitsuki said bluntly.

Boruto laughed. "I'll bet! Permanent house arrest has to be annoying, hm?"

"Very much so. He does enjoy my visits, though. He is very interested in the world you visited."

"Did you tell him that I'm trying to get back?" Boruto asked. Mitsuki looked up at the sky and sighed.

"I have not. I have not visited him this year. Perhaps while we have this time off, I can request leave to go visit him."

"That'll be good!"

The two walked silently for a time until they made it to where the inventor lived. Boruto knocked on the door and the man came running. "Good afternoon, Setsuzoku."

"Oh, Boruto-kun! Mitsuki-san!" The inventor bowed to them in greeting. "You will be pleased by my progress! I do believe that I am finished, Boruto-kun!"

Boruto smiled. "That's great!"

"Don't you think that this is a bad idea?" the inventor grumbled softly as he picked up the metal Sharingan and handed it to Boruto. "Your father forbade me from making one that connected to that world."

Boruto frowned. He knew that his dad had been trying to keep him from returning to visit Ansei. The Inventor's idea had been approved, though, for pocket prisons and Sasuke had agreed to help the man with his research. Once the pocket dimensions had been made and sold, he returned to his village for a time, but had come back to Konoha when Naruto wanted to hire him for their science division. Since the village still needed money, Setsuzoku had agreed to move into Konoha and send his paychecks back home.

"I know what dad said," Boruto grumbled. "But I want to see how Ansei's doing!"

Setsuzoku sighed. "Yes, of course." Boruto looked over the half-circle device. "This one will connect you back to this world," the inventor explained. "That way you won't be stuck over there." Boruto nodded.

"Thanks! I'll be back tomorrow, then!"

"You're not going tonight?" Mitsuki asked.

"Naw! I've got a family dinner to go to! Hima-chan's coming home!"

"Nii-san!" Boruto turned to the doorway.

"Speak of the little devil!" Boruto ran to his sister and scooped her up into his arms. She had grown to be a fine young woman. Boruto placed her on the ground and ruffled her long dark blue hair. "Dad said you weren't going to be home until later!"

"We finished early!" the girl said with a wide smile; but that smile faded once she noticed the device in his hand. "You're going back?" she whimpered.

Boruto smiled. "Don't worry, Hima!" he said. "It's just for a visit!"

Himawari turned from her older brother and frowned. "I wish you wouldn't," she muttered.

Boruto placed his hand on her head and smiled. "Don't worry! But also… don't tell, dad okay?"

"Fine," the girl muttered. Boruto pocketed the device and smiled. Hima smiled as well and Mitsuki simply grinned.

"Well, it's time to get going. Thanks, Setsuzoku. We'll see you later." The trio walked out of the house. Mitsuki waved at them and smiled.

"I will see you, Boruto-kun," he said with a wave. Boruto waved and watched his teammate leave before turning to Himawari.

"Let's go home, hm?" The young girl nodded and took her brother's hand. Boruto listened to her as she explained her mission. They had gone to another village. Nothing dangerous happened, other than a couple of bandits. Boruto looked at a bandage on his sister's cheek. "Do I have to go kill someone?" Boruto asked dangerously.

"No," the girl answered. "Tenten-sensei handled it."

"Good," Boruto said with a nod. He rubbed over the bandage. Himawari blushed slightly and turned away.

"I don't need you to protect me anymore, nii-san," she muttered. Boruto laughed and put his arm around her as they walked.

"I will always protect you, Himawari!"

The girl's eyes darkened for a moment. "And I will always protect you, brother…" she muttered after a moment.

 _World Two_

"We have brought the eight-tails' holder…"

Ansei blinked from where he sat. Six years… He had grown so much in that time. He looked down at his gloved hands and clenched his fists. "That leaves just one more, does it not?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, Ansei-sama," the woman behind him answered. Ansei closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't wanted to bring any more people in, but Zetsu had insisted. Their small group consisted of three people, not including himself and Zetsu. Ansei stood and turned his blindfolded eyes to the woman behind him. She was older than he was, but he was stronger.

He walked passed her and felt a chill. She terrified him to no end, but he tried not to let it show. While he was stronger, she had been able to defeat him once. "Where is the Jinchuuriki?"

"With Nikko," she answered. Ansei nodded slowly. They had a large, subterranean base of operations. Ansei walked through the tunnels that they had built until he reached the extraction room. He stopped short. A child, no more than four, was strapped down, crying softly.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ansei snapped, turning to the ice-blue haired young man in the room. He rubbed his snow white skin and smirked.

"This child is the Jinchuuriki," Nikko said with a shrug. Ansei narrowed his eyes and walked to the small child, his hand shaking. "I'll leave you to your work, then, Ansei." He waved and walked out. Ansei stared down at the kid.

"You are conflicted?"

Ansei jumped and turned around. "Zetsu-sama!" he gasped.

The man walked over to the table and looked down at the child with his soulless eyes. "He is a pawn to our goal, Ansei. Do not let yourself be conflicted."

"He's just a child," Ansei whispered.

"A minor sacrifice."

"I'm doing this to save children," Ansei snapped.

"What is one child over the many we will be saving?"

Ansei clenched his fists. They had already gotten most of the rest of the Jinchuuriki. He and the five-tails Jinchuuriki were the only ones left. "It's not right."

"This world is not right. You had no problem when the other Jinchuuriki were adults. Why is this little boy so special? This world created him. We must fix the wrong that has been done. Do you not see that we are helping him, Ansei?" Zetsu placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "You will save many, child," he whispered.

Ansei nodded slowly. "Fine. Let me do my work in peace, then." Zetsu nodded and left. Ansei looked at the small child strapped to the table.

"C-can I go home?" he whimpered.

Ansei smiled softly. "Do you have people waiting for you?" The child nodded. "That's good. Family?"

"Y-yeah… mommy and daddy…"

"Any siblings?"

"N-no, sir," the boy whispered. Ansei sighed. "Why can't I go home?"

Ansei rested a hand on the child's hand. "You will, don't worry," he whispered. He walked to a drawer and pulled out a syringe.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"It'll be okay," Ansei whispered. "How was the trip over here?"

"I dun like that pale man," the child grumbled.

Ansei laughed softly. "Nikko? He's not so bad once you get to know him. He's just a really big push-over, I promise." He pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. He held it to the light before filling the syringe with the clear liquid. "Was he nice to you?"

"I guess," he muttered.

"That's good." Ansei walked over to the child and lifted his sleeve to reveal the bend in his elbow. He lifted the boy's arm slowly.

"What are you doing?" the child asked again.

Ansei messaged the area. "Don't worry about it," he assured him.

"O-okay."

Ansei looked down at the boy. He felt utterly sick. The killing of the other Jinchuuriki hadn't been easy either, but he hadn't minded as much. _But this is a child…_ he thought. He shook his head. _No… This is a creature that was created. I'm saving him from the fate I suffered. He'll just be a weapon._ He put the needled in the boy's arm. The boy whimpered softly.

"Shh… It's okay," Ansei whispered gently. "You're just going to get a little sleepy, okay?" The child stared fearfully at Ansei. "I know… But you'll be fine." He pushed the plunger. He turned away from the Jinchuuriki and walked away from the table as the child feel asleep. It was to keep him quiet during the extraction. He walked out of room and leaned against the wall, shaking slightly.

"You did well, Ansei. We are one step closer. We are almost there." Ansei narrowed his eyes.

"I need to be alone," he snapped. "You do what you have to now." Zetsu placed a hand on Ansei's shoulder. Ansei pulled away angrily. "Don't touch me," he growled angrily, his eyes turning red.

"Temper, temper, pet," Zetsu said with a shake of his head. Ansei stormed down the hallway, wrapping his cloak around himself angrily.

"We're almost finished," he whispered.

"Are we?" a voice laughed beside him.

 _World One_

Boruto sighed as he stood from the table. It had been a good meal, but something had been off. It was supposed to be a happy occasion. When would be the next time they would be together again? "Well… Thanks for the meal."

"Sit down," Naruto said quietly. Boruto narrowed his eyes. Himawari pushed the rest of her meal around slowly. "Boruto, I know you've been visiting Setsuzoku… I want the Sharingan. You are forbidden from going back."

Boruto turned to his sister. "You told him?!" he snapped.

"Boruto," Hinata defended.

"I had to!" Himawari cried. "I don't want you to go back to that ugly world! Last time we went there, you got hurt! You almost died!"

"You did die," Naruto interjected. "What your sister did was right, Boruto."

Boruto narrowed his eyes. "I'm an adult now. You can't tell me what to do."

"Maybe not as your father, but as your Hokage, I can," Naruto retorted. "Give me the device."

"I want to visit a friend!" Boruto snapped. "Why is that so wrong? I won't get hurt again! You said yourself that they were getting better when we left!"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, Boruto… When we left, I'm positive that Ansei thought you were dead," he muttered.

"What?!" Boruto growled. "Ansei was unstable enough as it was! I spent too much time trying to convince him that he wasn't a monster and you went and ruined it! You let him think he had killed his friend!"

"He did!" Naruto shouted. "He did kill you, Boruto!"

"So you want me to give up on a friend?" Boruto asked. "Just like you gave up on Sasuke?"

"Don't you _dare_ bring Sasuke into this! This is different!"

"How?" Boruto challenged. "Now I _have_ to go back! He's been thinking for six years that he killed me! I have to show him that I'm alive! I can't believe you lied to me!"

"Please don't be mad, nii-san…" Himawari whispered.

"Stay out of this!" Boruto snapped. "You shouldn't have told him!"

"Boruto!" Hinata scolded. The young man narrowed his eyes and stormed out of the room.

"Boruto! Get back here!" Naruto shouted, but the boy was gone. He ran out of the house angrily, concealing his chakra. Growing up with Naruto and not wanting to be found on occasion had taught him to hide well, even from Sage Mode. He ran until he slammed face first into Sarada.

"Watch it," Boruto growled before he realized who he had run in to.

"You watch it, Banana-head," Sarada teased. "You and Hokage-sama get in another fight?"

"Yeah…" Boruto grumbled. He pulled out the device. "I'm going back."

Sarada blinked. "You are?! Alone?"

"If I have to," Boruto muttered. "I have to make sure everything is okay in that world."

Sarada sighed deeply. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" she asked. Boruto shook his head. "Well, I can't let you go alone, then."

Boruto shook his head. "Dad said that Ansei thinks I'm dead. He was already unstable enough to kill me. There's no telling what six years of thinking I was dead has done to him. This probably isn't safe."

"All the more reason you aren't going alone."

Boruto and Sarada turned to the new voice. "Mitsuki?"

"Yes," Mitsuki said quietly. "I have been tailing you since you ran out of your home."

"Why… were you are my house?" Boruto asked uncertainly.

Mitsuki shrugged. "I needed to ask your father for some time off."

"At my house? At night?" Mitsuki shrugged again and Boruto relented. Mitsuki had his own version of right and wrong and Boruto had long since avoided trying to understand their odd teammate.

"Guess the gang's back together again," Boruto said with a smile. "Setsuzoku says that we can return home with this device as well, so we won't be stuck there like last time." He turned to a wall and opened his palm. The metal Sharingan projected a portal. "Let's go, then," he said.

"Wait!" Mitsuki said quickly.

"Hm? Chickening out?" Boruto asked.

"No! If we want a summon, we should bring one now."

Boruto thought about it for a moment. It made sense... Who knew what would happen if they tried to summon inside the other world? They would most likely end up with a summon that they didn't know. "Good idea, Mitsuki!" he said. He bit into his finger and slammed his palm on the ground. Sarada and Mitsuki did the same. When the smoke cleared, a snake, a Hawk and a wolf stood in their small circle. The hawk was a beautiful white creature, arge enough to carry three humans. His wing feathers were lined with light brown, almost as if they had been painted. The raptor looked around anxiously. The snake was large as well, but not too large like Manda. It was dark purple with golden markings, contrasting Mistuki's almost pastel coloration.

The wolf was large as well; large enough to be ridden like a horse, but it was lean. Boruto hadn't learned summoning from his father or Sasuke. He had learned it by trying to summon without a contract, ending up in the summon world where he made a contract with a wolf pack. The lean midnight creature bowed her head. "Well, now that we've taken care of that, let's go."

Sarada and Mitsuki nodded and the group stepped in.

"Nii-san!"

 _Author's note: Man, I hate chapters like this. Kind of re-introducing characters and stuff. I decided to bring four canons to balance out the OCs… Originally it was just going to be Boruto, but I decided that there might be more OCs in World II (which won't take the spotlight, I promise) so I wanted enough canons to balance that! Hope ya'll enjoyed!_

 _Also, I haven't seen the movie, so I'm in the dark a bit about Mitsuki's personality and skill set, so I kind of imagined him like Mr. Fantastic with Sai's personality with a bit more of a dark sense of humor, but also loyal to his buddies._


	17. The World Calling

_So, I've spent all this time trying to fit World 2 into the lore of the Narutoverse… and then I realized that World 2 can have a different Lore…_

 _Chapter Seventeen: The World Calling_

"He's not ready," Zetsu grumbled to himself as he finished his duties. He shook his head. "He may _never_ be ready, mother, and all our work would have been for not. I cannot accept that." He bowed his head. Awakening the Rinnegan had been harder than he had anticipated. He had been tracking the reincarnation cycle of one sibling, but the other one had not appeared in history since the original's death, leaving the creature confused.

Zetsu sighed and turned to the shelves that lined the walls. They were filled with jars and in those jers were eyes. Zetsu sat down at his desk. Six years ago, the second sibling appeared, which was why he had gone after Ansei, but just as quickly as he had found the sibling, he lost it. "Vanished without a trace," he grumbled angrily. "And Ansei's getting worse." He turned to the door. Ansei was unruly, but in an odd way. He expected the child to be difficult, and had prepared accordingly. Ansei wasn't impatient like he had anticipated. If anything, he was more confused and no matter what Zetsu did, he couldn't fully rest the boy's mind. "It's probably that blasted fox," the man muttered with a nod.

He threw on his hood and his dead yellow eyes turned to the sky. A wide smile suddenly appeared on his face. There was a change in the air. "We should get going," he said and started for the door. "I believe it is finally time…"

* * *

"Himawari?!"

The young girl stood and wiped dust from her pants. "You didn't think I'd just let you go, did you?" she asked.

"Get back there! It isn't safe!" Boruto snapped angrily. She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close.

"Of course it isn't safe, big brother," she growled, shaking him slightly. Sarada giggled and Mitsuki sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you think I'm here? Of course I'm not going to let my big brother go on this stupid adventure without me, ya big fool! Gosh, Boruto, you're just as stubborn as dad!" She pushed him to the ground. Boruto groaned and rubbed his head.

"Who is the older one here?" he complained.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Mitsuki said with a smile.

"Shut up…"

Boruto stood and looked at his sister. "Fine, but you do what I say."

"I'm not a child anymore," the girl complained, thrusting her thumb to point to her headband. Boruto stood and ruffled her long, dark hair.

"But you are still my little sister." Himawari pouted slightly, then smiled. "I guess we should start at the Hyuuga compound. They wouldn't have let him leave," Boruto suggested. Sarada nodded, but Mitsuki was staring at the Hokage Monument.

"Obito?" he asked. Boruto turned and nodded. However, Obito's face was no longer the last one on the mountain. A woman now held a place on it.

"Hanabi-sama?" Boruto whispered. "Did the Hyuuga take over again?"

Sarada shrugged. Boruto gripped Himawari's hand and they started for the Hyuuga compound. Boruto wasn't sure what he was expecting at this point, but he didn't get it. The village wasn't just surviving, it was prospering. People were bustling about; ninja were happily moving around with their new academy students. "This isn't the same place we left," Sarada grumbled. Boruto nodded.

"You two seem rather tense," Mitsuki observed. "Why? This seems like a rather peaceful place."

"It wasn't when we left." Sarada said.

Boruto didn't know exactly how it had been when they left, but he knew what it was like before he and Ansei fought. The boy shuddered at the thought and he started trembling slightly. He felt his sister's hand grasp his tightly. Boruto smiled softly. No matter what, they would stick together.

They continued to the Hyuuga compound and by the time they made it, the sun was setting. "Boruto?!"

The group stopped and turned. "Hanabi-sama," Boruto greeted. They all bowed respectfully. _I guess she's Hokage now,_ Boruto thought. She had a long coat that was light purple, with red flames. Boruto smiled.

"I thought that you had… left," Hanabi muttered. "How are you here?"

"I've come to see Ansei," Boruto said softly.

Hanabi's shoulders dropped. "Oh."

"Is he okay?" Boruto asked quickly, noticing the change in her attitude.

Hanabi sighed. "Come with me."

"Where is he?"

"He's not here," Hanabi muttered. "He disappeared not long after you did."

"Is he alive?" Boruto asked. He felt his throat tighten.

"We believe so," Hanabi answered, nodding slowly. "But no one has been able to confirm that in over three years. The boy hasn't been heard from in years. I am sorry you came here for nothing, but we are trying very hard to find him."

Boruto blinked. "Has he done something wrong?"

"He is an S-Rank criminal," Hanabi answered. Boruto suddenly felt sick. He had been far too late.

"International?"

"Yes," Hanabi answered, bowing her head. Boruto bit his lip.

"Thank you. I'll find him."

"I don't think that's a good idea, child," Hanabi said quickly. "We are handling the situation."

"I'll handle it," Boruto snapped. "You let this get this bad, and I won't let him suffer for your mistakes!"

"I know what my father did," Hanabi said tightly, "but Ansei has made his choice and this is it."

"You paved the path for him!" Boruto snapped. "Let me find him!"

Hanabi closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "You are not part of this village, so I can't stop you."

"Good," Boruto said with a short nod. He grabbed his sister's hand and turned. Hanabi grabbed his arm.

"I might as well give you all the information I can," she grumbled. Boruto looked at Sarada and Mitsuki and they both nodded. Himawari looked at her brother and frowned. They stared at each other for a moment and then Boruto looked away. Himawari let his hand go and followed Hanabi angrily. Boruto's shoulders dropped. He followed silently, shoving his hands in his pockets. They were mad at him. This wasn't supposed to be an extended, and potentially dangerous, mission.

As they walked through the compound, Boruto kept his eyes down. In the six years since he had left, the compound had gone through very little changes. There were evidence of small battles and new buildings, but nothing drastic. He stopped as a boy his age came towards them. The child had on leg braces and walked with crutches on his arms. He was pale, but he smiled all the way. He wrapped his arms around Hanabi and smiled at her. "Good morning, mother," the boy said with a wide grin.

Hanabi ran her hands through his hair. "Good morning, Ningyo," she said warmly.

Boruto blinked. "That's your son?" he asked.

Hanabi nodded. "I don't think you met him properly last time you were here," she said quietly. "This is my son, Ningyo." The group bowed respectfully. "Ningyo, these are Ansei's friends. They've come to help us find him."

Ningyo bowed awkwardly. "Please bring him home," the child begged.

Boruto nodded and smiled. "I'll bring him home, don't you worry," he said, though Ansei would have to face what he had done since leaving. _We'll cross that bridge when we get there,_ he thought.

Hanabi led them all to a large room. Boruto took off his shoes before walking into the room and he knelt beside the table. Himawari knelt beside Sarada, who sat beside Mitsuki, who had taken the spot beside Boruto. Hanabi took her place opposite to them. "I'm sure you want to know what happened."

"If Obito still alive?" Sarada asked quickly.

Hanabi smiled. "Obito-san is alive and well, and living out his retirement with his wife and daughter. Right now, I believe they are vacationing in the Land of Snow. Also, you have not introduced me to your friend here."

"My name is Mitsuki, ma'am."

"No sur name?"

"None that I know of, ma'am," Mitsuki said with a polite bow.

"I see. Welcome to Konoha."

"I am pleased to be here, Miss Hanabi."

Hanabi smiled. "I am sure you are wondering how a Hyuuga rose to power, especially after the fiasco a few years back."

"The thought crossed our mind," Himawari said coolly. Boruto shot her a glare and she wrinkled her nose at him.

"You don't have to worry," Hanabi said. "For several months afterward, the Hyuuga clan suffered the consequences for our actions. We were unable to leave the compound and guards were posted. Looking back, they treated us like vermin, but we deserved it. Slowly, the village began to heal. A year ago, to try and mend the broken bond we had with the village, it was decided that a Hyuuga should become Hokage. It was a rather large affair. Not only the jounin voted, but the entire village did as well, and they agreed upon it, since most of the elders that had planned the coup were dead. I was deemed the most worthy, and I was humbled by the choice, but to decline it would have been very bad for the village."

Boruto nodded slowly. It all made sense, for the most part. Of course there would be problems. It was unlikely that every person agreed with the choice, so of course there would be problems with it, but it seemed that the village was doing just fine; even better than fine. It was prospering. "What about Ansei?" Boruto asked.

Hanabi sighed. "That is a less happy story," she muttered. "The last we saw, he was with a group of three or four, and they seem to be collecting Bijuu, though we're not sure why. They also seem to be collecting and kidnapping ninja with Kekkei Genkai."

"Sounds like a smaller version of the Akatsuki," Sarada muttered.

"Indeed," Mitsuki agreed.

"Have they made any demands?" Boruto asked.

"None."

"We'll find them. Who is involved in this?"

Hanabi shrugged, defeated. "We know nothing about it," she admitted. "No country as managed to capture any of them, or even engage in a battle with them and live."

Boruto went to stand. "I will find them, then. You three stay here."

"You think we'd let you go alone?" Sarada asked.

"I don't want any of you to get hurt. I just wa-"

"Shut up!" Himawari shouted, slamming her hands onto the table. Boruto jumped. "You brought us here, and if you are hell bent on this suicide mission, then you aren't going alone!" she snapped. "You may think you have to protect every living on this mission, but we can handle ourselves! Who's going to protect _you?!"_

Boruto blinked and stared down at his sister, his eyes wide and hands trembling.

"You're not invincible, Boruto!" Himawari growled, glaring at her brother. "You are not alone in this, either! We all chose to come, so stop acting like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulder!" Boruto knelt down again and bowed his head. "Now, we can leave whenever you are ready."

Boruto closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He felt sick. Himawari was right, but they weren't invincible either. He wanted them all to go home. "We'll leave in the morning," Boruto muttered. "We'll stay in a hotel."

"Nonsense," Hanabi said quickly. "You are my guests. You may have a guest house." She stood and they followed. When they stepped out of the room, they were greeted by their summons. The wolf licked Boruto's face, noticing his distress. Boruto sighed deeply and rubbed her fur. Hanabi led them to a small house near the main estate and then let them loose inside. The summons made themselves at home outside as the humans worked their way inside.

Boruto sat down in a chair and buried his head in his hands. _This wasn't supposed to be this hard,_ he thought. _Why did you run, Ansei…?_ He knew the answer, though. Ansei had wanted freedom, no matter the cost. _What are you doing, Ansei? I know you want peace, not war, so why would you do this?_

Sarada sat down beside Boruto. "We'll find him, you know." She muttered. "Don't worry."

"I don't want you to get hurt," Boruto admitted softly. "This is my mission, not yours. You and the rest should go home and let dad know."

"Why don't we go get your father?" Sarada asked.

Boruto narrowed his eyes. "Part of this is dad's fault," he muttered. "Dad let Ansei believe he was a monster and had left me to die. He should have went back and told Ansei that I was fine. He would just make things worse."

Sarada sighed deeply. "Fine, be that way."

Boruto stood. "I'm going to bed," he said quietly. He stood and went to his room, before laying the bed on the floor. After he settled down, he stared at the ceiling. He heard Sarada talking to Mitsuki, and then reassuring Himawari. After a couple hours, the house fell silent. Boruto waited for another hour before he stood. He grabbed a pack and went to the kitchen before filling it. He took weapons as well and then left the house.

His summon lifted her head and growled softly in confusion. Boruto knew that running would be faster, but he had no idea where to go, and nothing of Ansei's that would help them find the scent. The wolf stood and Boruto climbed on the animal. The hawk cocked his head at them, but ignored them for the most part. Boruto looked at the house. "I'm sorry, guys," he muttered, "but this is my fight and I can't let anything happen to you just because I'm an idiot." He had the way home in his pack. If he were to leave it with them, they would go back and get Naruto. He turned the wolf around and urged her forward.

 _World I_

Naruto sighed as he sat down on the couch.

"He is an adult," Hinata tried to reason with him.

"But Himawari isn't!" Naruto snapped. He wasn't angry at her, or even Boruto and Himawari. He was mad at himself. He should have talked to his son and gone with him.

"He's a lot like you," Hinata said with a smile.

"You act like that's a good thing," Naruto grumbled.

"And Himawari will keep him in line because she is a lot like your mother."

"And you, when you're mad," Naruto answered with a slight smile. He hated that he couldn't protect his son, but what else could they do? At least they knew where their children were. He closed his eyes and rubbed his nose. Hinata came to sit by him, resting her head on his chest. Naruto wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"They will be fine."

"How are you not freaking out?" Naruto asked shakily.

Hinata smiled warmly. "I am," she admitted. "I'm terrified for our children. I don't want them to get hurt, and I want to be there to protect them."

"Then how are you not showing it?"

Hinata sighed. "Because I watched my father go through the same thing. I watched him have to let his children grow and do their own thing, and it turned out great for him. I have to have faith that it will turn out the same for us and our children."

Naruto nodded. He had never got to see a parent watch him grow up, so of course he would be more of a nervous wreck about their kids. He kissed the top of her head and smiled at her. "Thank you, Hinata," he whispered.

Hinata smiled. "You are welcome."

"That doesn't excuse them," Naruto said quietly.

"We will never be comfortable with them doing their own adventures," Hinata admitted with a nod. "But, we have to let them be their own people."

Naruto hated it, but he agreed with Hinata. They couldn't simply live their children's lives for them. Naruto closed his eyes. "I wish he wasn't so much like me," Naruto said.

Hinata smiled. "I wouldn't want him any other way. Would you have been proud of him if he wasn't so willing to do this for a friend?"

"I would be proud of my son no matter what." Naruto bit his lip and wanted to scream, but instead he rubbed Hinata's arm to comfort both her and him. "Will they be okay?" Naruto asked quietly.

"I can't tell you that, Naruto, but we can take solace in knowing that we raised them right…"

 _World II_

"Ansei-san," Nikko said. He was standing in Ansei's doorway. "Zetsu wants to talk to you." Ansei stood and nodded. He reached down to a black blindfold. "Why do you wear that?" the pale man asked. "You aren't blind."

"It's a symbol," Ansei muttered as he placed it over his pale eyes.

"A symbol? That's ridiculous, Ansei," Nikko teased. "Blindfolding yourself is stupid."

Ansei tried to push passed him. "You wouldn't understand."

Nikko blocked his path. "Then enlighten me, oh great philosopher! What's the point of blinding yourself?"

Ansei tried to duck through the door, but was shoved back. "Leave me alone, Nikko," Ansei growled.

"Oh. There it is. That famous temper of yours. I don't see why you have such a problem with killing, considering you kill more than any of us."

"I can paralyze you in a second," Ansei growled angrily. Nikko stepped up to stand face-to-face with the Hyuuga. They were about the same height, though Nikko was slightly taller.

"I'd like to see you try."

Ansei's hands began to glow, but both men stopped before anything happened as a laugh echoed through the subterranean hallway. A woman stood in the hall, shaking her head. "Males and their tempers," she said with a wide smile. Ansei averted his gaze, clenching his fists. "Always trying to measure each other."

Ansei turned away, but Nikko stood tall, staring at the woman with his cold eyes. "What's it to you, Saimin?"

"I just like to watch men fight," she said with a smile. She lifted her deep purple eyes to match Nikko's gaze. He averted his quickly. "If Zetsu wants to talk to you, you shouldn't be wasting your time arguing over who could kill who faster."

"I could," Nikko defended.

"You are a child," Ansei snapped.

"All three of you are," Zetsu snapped. "When I call you, Ansei, I expect you to come."

"I don't know why you're wasting your time with this basket case," Nikko snapped. "He's insane, if you haven't noticed."

"Shut up," Ansei snapped.

"And moody," Saimin agreed.

Zetsu walked to Ansei and placed a dark hand on his shoulder. "This Hyuuga is special," he said with a chilling smirk. "He will be the one to save us all."

Nikko crossed his arms. "I don't need a savior as long as you keep your end of the bargain when this is all over," he grumbled.

Zetsu nodded. "Of course, of course. You two deal with locating the last Jinchuuriki while Ansei and I discuss the next move."

"Whatever," Nikko growled.

"Of course, Zetsu-san," Saimin said with a deep, but mocking, bow. The two left, leaving Zetsu and his protégé alone. Ansei moved into his room and Zetsu followed silently.

"What is it, Zetsu?"

"Hm, no respect," Zetsu said quietly. "But the condition has been met and we must make our move soon."

Ansei looked up at the man and blinked. "The condition?" he repeated. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Then it truly is time, isn't it?"

"It is."

Ansei smiled. He couldn't believe how close they were. They needed one more Bijuu and then they would have everything they needed. "We will unite the nations into a world that we can be proud of."

Zetsu nodded. "With you leading the way, it will be a grand revolution for the people of this continent." Ansei nodded slowly. He felt giddy and ill at the same time. There was finally a light. The killing would end and no child would ever suffer again. He stood. "Where are you going?"

"I need fresh air."

"Understandable. Do not be gone long, Ansei, for soon we will leave. You must be ready for what is to come. Becoming the Jinchuuriki for the Juubi will not be easy, and you must have control of your Bijuu before you begin to think you can control all of them. We will depart to begin training. The others will handle the last Bijuu."

"And what about the condition?" Ansei asked quietly.

"He will take care of it."

Ansei felt something in the pit of his stomach and he nodded. _Heaven help whoever we're sending him after…_ he thought. "I will take my leave, then."

"We leave in two hours. I will pack everything we need."

Ansei nodded and started for the exit. When he got to the opening, he suddenly felt something chilling. He looked up and another child was walking towards thee base. His skin was dark and tanned, almost brown, and his eyes were black, soulless pits without a hint of white. The child was no more than twelve, but Ansei felt an aura in the boy that made him feel almost sick even in passing. As they passed each other, the air around them dropped, chilling Ansei to the bone. Blood stained the boy's white traveler's cloak. The child reached out like a snake and grabbed Ansei's arm. His skin was like ice.

"Where were you?" Ansei asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He noticed the bloody stains on the boy's hands and face. His black eyes faded into a blind, dull grey and he smiled.

"I was just playing…"

 _Author's note: Yeesh! That took FOREVER! I'm sorry, I've been busy, but the busy stuff is pretty much over, giving me more time to focus on this! Again, I promise that the OC's won't take the spotlight (other than Ansei, since he's a main.) Unless, of course, you are interested in them._

 _Also, I'm going to see the Boruto movie tomorrow! I'm sure my motivation for this will rise after that! XD_


	18. Of Angels and Demons

_Author's Note: My prediction was right! The Boruto movie gave me all the inspiration I needed! OMG, though, it was amazing and perfect and everything I wanted!_

Chapter Eighteen: Of Angels and Demons

Zetsu watched Ansei go with a longsuffering sigh. It wasn't that he needed to breathe, but after living so long amongst humans, he picked up their mannerisms. Ansei was like a perpetual headache that wouldn't go away, not matter what. He had to babysit the boy constantly and attempt to put his mind at ease. It was a chore. His only solace was the thought of ripping Ansei's heart out of his chest right as he thought he had won.

A change in the air made Zetsu turn to the door. The bloodstained child walked to Zetsu and dropped to his knees, placing his head on the ground at Zetsu's feet. "Good evening, Kami-sama," the child whispered in the deepest respect. It went beyond that, though. The child worshiped Zetsu as a god and spoke to him with reverence.

"I have a mission for you, child," Zetsu said. The boy lifted his dead grey eyes and smiled wickedly. The boy was blind, but that meant nothing in this world. He was born blind and had always lived in the darkness. Zetsu would often smile at the divine perfection of the child's situation. He was born in darkness and lived there without ever seeing the light. If there was a true god, then he had a twisted sense of humor when it came to the creature before him

"Anything," he said.

Zetsu smiled. "The reincarnation of the other sibling has been located," he said. "I need you to bring me this person."

"Alive?" the boy asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, yes," Zetsu answered. The boy's face fell. "I do only need a DNA sample, but it would be best if you bring them to me alive. But not entirely whole, if you so desire. A missing limb won't hurt my purpose."

"IT shall be done."

"But first, I have a gift for you, child." The boy stood excitedly and they moved through the base. Zetsu turned to the child beside him. His name was Akuryo; a dark spirit. Zetsu had found the child not long ago and while he needed Ansei, the Hyuuga was disposable once the Rinnegan was awakened. They stopped in a room. "In here." Zetsu opened the door. A man stood in the room. He narrowed his eyes.

"You brought a child?" he snapped.

"This is your gift. Do as you see fit, Akuryo." Zetsu stepped back. Akuryo was a better fit for this plan. Ansei wanted peace, but Akuryo had no wants or desires. His only desire was what people told him he wanted. The tanned child stepped towards his victim. There was a major difference between the two, and that was why Zetsu favored his little demon more than his little Hyuuga.

Akuryo stepped closer to the man. His eyes were dead and soulless black pits. A black and purple aura surrounded him. The man backed away, but was quickly engulfed in the black chakra. Akuryo laughed as the man screamed in pain as he began sweating blood. Akuryo grabbed the man's arm and his flesh began to die.

Zetsu watched with a grin on his face. While Ansei had a moral compass that prevented him from doing anything that would harm anyone senselessly, Akuryo had no such soul. He was a twisted, perverted creature that could only be described as death in a human form. He would get things done and would kill anyone or anything that got in the way of his god's plan.

* * *

"I'm going to _murder_ him!" Sarada growled as she stared down at Boruto's empty bed.

"This is unfortunate," Mitsuki muttered, "but not entirely surprising. Boruto is a self-righteous fool."

Sarada clenched his fists. "He's such a moron sometimes!" she snapped, ignoring Mitsuki for the most part. The boy sighed and leaned against the wall. Boruto was indeed a fool, but not a moron.

"He simply did not want to lead us into a battle we can't win," Mitsuki said with a shrug. Sarada glared at him.

"How can you be so calm?!"

"Worrying about him now is pointless. He is gone." Sarada clenched her fists angrily. "Whatever you plan on doing to him will be a cake walk compared to what Himawari-chan will do to him when she finds out he's left us."

Sarada's eyes widened and Mitsuki smiled. No matter how scary Sarada could be, or even Sakura, Himawari was worse, especially when it came to her family. "Poor Boruto," she muttered. "He'll never experience so many things in his life."

"We should wake her," Mitsuki said as he started walking away. Sarada reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Let's wait, okay?"

"If you say so. But we should perhaps try to figure out where Boruto went and what time he left."

The two walked out of the house and went to their summons. Mitsuki spoke with his snake while Sarada spoke with the hawk. When they came back, Sarada looked defeated. "No news?"

"He said Boruto left about midnight," she muttered. "What about Manna?"

"He said that he was asleep," Mitsuki said. Sarada groaned and sat down.

"He's such a moron!"

"Manna is not a moron. He's very smart. He is a clone of my parent's old summon, Manda," Mitsuki defended flatly.

Sarada rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean Manna, I meant Boruto."

"Ah, yes, then your assessment is correct. Boruto is a stubborn fool." Sarada groaned softly. "Sitting here and moping about it will not help. We should get moving. Boruto's previous fight with this man did not go well, from what I heard." He remembered the stories and the countless hours waiting at the hospital. During his stay, the child had flat lined several times, and even now, though he was loathed to admit it, his heart was still weakened by the devastating blow. Mitsuki ran his hands through his blue hair and sighed softly.

"That idiot is going to get himself killed!" Sarada snapped as she started for the house. An angry shout from inside informed the two ANBU level shinobi that the genin had found out her brother was gone, and chills went up even Mitsuki's spine. The two rushed inside.

"Where is he?" Himawari shouted. Sarada was quick to try and explain, but Mitsuki's blunt attitude was faster than any calming lie.

"He left," he said simply. Himawari's eyes widened.

"I'm going to kill him!" she shouted. "Let's go!"

"Now, Hima-chan!" Sarada said quickly. "We shouldn't rush after him so rashly!"

"Why not?" Mitsuki asked.

"Shut it! You aren't helping!"

Himawari wasn't listening. Mitsuki understood that much. Trying to calm her would do nothing, so it would be better to accompany her instead of letting her run off in such an angry mindset. It was all very rational and Mitsuki wasn't sure why Sarada was trying so hard to avoid the logical course of action.

Sarada relented after a few more moments of arguing with Himawari. "Are we leaving?" Mitsuki asked.

"Might as well," Sarada grumbled. The three spent almost an hour packing supplies from the house. They left enough money on the table in the main room to pay from the sheets, blankets food and weapons they took with them. Mitsuki was in charge of the rest of their savings and then the three ninja took off. Sarada took to the sky with her hawk while Mitsuki and Himawari stayed below with Manna.

"Boruto does this because he cares deeply for you," Mitsuki said after a while. He had noticed that Himawari didn't look angry so much anymore. She looked hurt and sad.

"If he cared, then he wouldn't do it!" Himawari snapped at the pale man. Mitsuki frowned. It was an odd thing to say. Did caring mean to take a course of action that would prevent physical harm and possibly death, but emotionally hurting the one that needed protecting? Or was it letting that person walk into a battle beside you? Mitsuki pondered the thought. He wasn't like Sai, who had hardly any concept of emotional connection. Mitsuki loved is parent, for the most part, and respected him as well. He understood that… but these situations had always been a mathematical calculation to him.

To him, Boruto hadn't acted out of caring. In Mitsuki's mind, Boruto had calculated the chance of survival and had acted accordingly. He had greatly diminished his chances of living, but had also increased their chances of living. _But isn't that selfish?_ He asked himself as he stared down at the dark haired girl beside him. He realized then that he was faced with a question that had no clear answer. _At least not when you add humanity to the equation,_ he modified with a nod. Without the wildcard known as humanity, the choice would be simple. They would march into battle together. Everyone would sacrifice their own one-hundred percent chance of survival and fight equally.

 _But when humanity is thrown in, one does not want to watch their loved ones die,_ Mitsuki continued, even though he knew he should have dropped the subject in his head by now. _That makes us do stupid things, like march into an unwinnable battle in order to protect the ones that we love. If Himawari were to get injured or killed on this mission, Boruto would not be able to say that it had been a possibility and move on. Surely he would feel responsible, even If he was not the one to actually kill his sister…_

Mitsuki sighed and smiled at Himawari. He was no closer to the answer than he had been before he started that long rambling in his head. "Your brother is blinded by his love for you," he said with a cute, innocent grin. "He may be stupid, but doesn't love make us do stupid things?"

Himawari frowned and looked up to meet Mitsuki's golden gaze. She returned his grin after a moment and turned away, a faint hint of pink entering her cheeks. Mitsuki frowned. Sarada did that when she looked at Boruto sometimes. "Thank you," Himawari whispered.

"You are most welcome, Hima-chan!" He placed a gloved hand on her head.

"I'm still going to kill him."

Mitsuki paused for a moment and then laughed full heartedly. He wasn't sure what had been so funny. Perhaps it was because it had been the complete opposite thing that the situation called for. Mitsuki was good at reading the situation. It was a calm, delicate moment. Had he been in her shoes, he would have smiled and started planning how they would find Boruto. After he took a moment to regain his composure, he looked at the sky. Sarada was coming down. "I would not have expected anything less from you."

Sarada landed and looked between them. "You two look to be in high spirits," she teased.

"Did you find anything?" Himawari asked hopefully, ignoring her comment. Mitsuki made a note of that.

Sarada shook her head. "We don't know what we're looking for." Mitsuki opened his mouth to clarify that they were looking for Boruto, but he was silenced by a glare that promised death if he so much as uttered the remark. _I'm not being sarcastic,_ his inner monologue defended.

Himawari closed her eyes for a moment before snapping them open. Her Byakugan had been activated. "Take me up," she said to Sarada. The girl complied without question and the two took off on the back of the hawk, leaving Mitsuki alone on the ground with his summon. He sighed and looked at the dark snake.

They were gone for several minutes before coming down. Mitsuki looked at them, but Sarada did not seem in the mood. Himawari seemed to be almost terrified. "What has happened?" Mitsuki asked quickly. The mood had changed drastically.

"An enemy, heading straight for us," Sarada said.

"How can they be after us?" Mitsuki said calmly. "They do not know that we even exist." Sarada shook her head. Himawari was spooked and her face pale. "What did you see?" he asked.

"Nothing good. After us or not, we don't want to be around when that enemy comes through here." Mitsuki nodded. He turned to the snake. Sarada wanted them to take to the sky, but the hawk wasn't strong enough to carry three people and a large snake.

"Do not worry, Mitsuki-sama," Manna said with a bow of his head. The snake quickly went underground and Mitsuki mounted Sarada's hawk. They took to the sky without another word. Why had this enemy scared Himawari so much? He looked down at the forest below, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

And, in the next second, they were falling. Mitsuki's eyes widened. He didn't remember an attack on their bird. One second they were in the air, the next, they were falling. His eyes searched wildly for his teammates. He looked at the ground. _Ten seconds,_ he thought quickly. _This speed is too fast!_ They weren't simply falling, they had been thrown. _But how?! I don't remember an attack!_ He spun in the air and spotted Himawari. With a burst of chakra, he reached out, stretching his arm. The second he had her, he threw her higher into the air to slow her descent. He gasped. The pain involved to not only stop a falling body, but completely change the direction was blinding. His looked around quickly, but Sarada was nowhere to be seen.

Mitsuki grabbed a branch as he fell, releasing chakra into his limb to stretch it so he wouldn't completely rip it out of its socket. He let out a loud gasp as pain tore through his body. He stayed there, dangling in the tree for a moment, gasping for air and waiting for the pain to dull. "Mitsuki-kun!" Himawari shouted, bringing him back. She had landed expertly on a branch above him.

"Are you well?" Mitsuki called.

"Yeah! What about you?"

"I am fine! Where's Sarada?"

"Here," Sarada called. Mitsuki sighed in relief. He was the team leader, after all, and it would do him no good to lose a team member. "Did anyone see what hit us?" Sarada asked. Mitsuki shook his head. "How's your arm?"

"It's not broken," he answered bluntly. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure, but he ignored the pain. There was nothing to be done about it. Suddenly the tree he was in shattered. Mitsuki jumped and landed beside Sarada. He blinked. Their assailant was a child who looked to be younger than Himawari; but his strength made Mitsuki shudder. Sarada lunged at the boy, but Mitsuki wasn't watching. He was looking at where the boy hit the tree. It wasn't his strength. The wood was rotting away before his eyes with a vague, black smoke coming from it. Mitsuki turned to the child, whose ungloved hand also had the same black smoke.

Mitsuki understood in that moment. "Don't touch him!" he shouted. Sarada didn't question her teammate's advice. Mitsuki wasn't one to just call out without reason. She dodged her attack, landing just behind him. With unnatural speed, the child spun, placing a hand on Sarada's exposed calf. Mitsuki hurried forward and Himawari was right behind him. She slammed her open palms, stopping centimeters from hitting him. He went flying. Mitsuki did a few handsigns and water sprouted from beneath the boy in deadly ribbons. Mitsuki turned to Sarada. Where the child had touched her flesh, it was already black with decay. He pulled out a scalpel and threw her to the ground. Before she could question what he was doing, he cut the layers of skin that were dying.

Sarada bit her lip against the pain. While she was the daughter of Sakura, she hadn't wanted to identify as the "medic" of the team growing up. Mitsuki, whose parent was Orochimaru, and whose "uncle" was Kabuto, had gladly taken role of medic. It was, however, imperative, that most, if not all, members of the squad knew at least basic medical ninjutsu in order to make up for an injured, or dead medic. "It spreads," he explained as he healed the freshly cut skin, "faster than I can heal it." Sarada nodded, though she still seemed a bit annoyed that her teammate had taken a chunk out of her leg without asking. Mitsuki took a moment to put a bandage on the wound. "It should be fine for now," he said. "But when we get out of this, we need to clean it better."

"Right," Sarada said. She stood, wincing at the pain. Mitsuki was about to tell her to stay down, but she glared at him. Her eyes widening told him to duck. He spun, kicking out at the tanned child with black eyes. Mitsuki did a quick check of the battlefield. Himawari was fine.

"Perhaps we can talk about this," Mitsuki said with a forced smile. He didn't like fighting an enemy that he knew nothing about. As his parent always said, fighting a battle you know you can't win is stupid, after all.

"I have come with a decree from god. Your life will gladly be sacrificed for him," the boy answered.

Mitsuki sighed and rubbed the back of his head. That wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. "I am sure that we do not want to be your sacrificial lambs today," he offered with a nervous smile. He hadn't expected that talking it out would work, but he wasn't expecting to be told that they were to be a sacrifice for some mad god either.

The boy grinned. _He's blind,_ Mitsuki noticed. The child never made eye contact with him and when he spoke, he wasn't looking at them, but behind them. It was the sign of someone listening for the location of his enemy. Mitsuki turned to Sarada and pointed to his own eyes. She seemed confused for a moment, then took in the situation. That didn't make it any easier, but at least they knew something about their enemy.

"One does not get to choose when they are a sacrificed," he said. "But it is not your blood I'm after. I am to kill anyone who gets in my way, however."

"Who are you looking for?" Mitsuki asked. He was formulating a plan and buying time, but if they could stall their attacker for just a moment, he felt like he could have an idea on how to beat this kid. _Touching him is lethal,_ he thought. _I don't know how, but that doesn't matter. It has to deal with his chakra, meaning we have to block his chakra flow._ He turned to Himawari. She wasn't part of their squad, so she wouldn't know the entirety of the silent language he, Sarada and Boruto had come up with. He moved to her silently as Sarada lunged at the ground, not only to attack the child, but to confuse him.

"We have to block his chakra flow," he told the girl. She nodded. Her Byakugan was already on.

"He has a weird flow," she muttered. "It's sporadic. There's no pattern to it at all. And it has a weird feeling, like it is cold."

Mitsuki sighed. He wasn't sure what all that meant, but he couldn't be bothered. It didn't matter what kind of weird chakra this kid had. All that mattered is that they didn't touch it. "Can you stop it?" he asked.

"I should be able to, but I need a direct hit to his heart."

"Can you not see the chakra points?"

Himawari shook her head. "I can, but I can't pinpoint them like I can with your chakra. His system is completely unbalanced, so I need to shut it down at the source."

"Then let's go." Mitsuki and Himawari ran forward. Mitsuki had a tag team move with Boruto that worked and he hoped that Himawari would pick up on it. Sarada slammed the ground, unbalancing the blind child. Mitsuki threw his palms to the ground and a massive wave came up towards their enemy. Hiding inside the wave was Himawari. She ran just in front of it, tracking the movements of the child. He was confused and disoriented with the shaking and the loud noises. Just before the wall of water crashed into the boy, Himawari slammed her open palm on his back.

Mitsuki watched with apprehension as his jutsu ended, flooding the area. He bit his lip, searching for their youngest member. Worry spread through him. Boruto would kill him if he knew that he had sent Himawari into battle, especially as a point runner. The second she emerged, Mitsuki was by her side. "Let's go. I have a feeling that won't hold him long," Mitsuki called. Sarada nodded and the three ran.

"Where's the hawk?" Mitsuki asked Sarada. She looked at him for a moment, then bowed her head. Mitsuki frowned. They ran for several more minutes before coming across the body of the beast. The smell was nearly unbearable. The thing looked like it had been dead for weeks, not just shy of half an hour. "This is our enemy," Mitsuki whispered. Sarada looked down at her bandaged leg as if realizing that it could have been her with those wounds. She wiped a tear from her cheek. The creature had been her main summon. "Should we give him a proper burial?" Mitsuki asked, unsure what to say in this situation.

"No," Sarada muttered. "It's fine." Mitsuki knew she was upset, but Sarada was a lot like him when it came to pushing away emotion for the sake of the mission.

"He said he's after us because of a god," Mitsuki said as they continued walking. "What do you think that means?"

"That he's crazy," Himawari offered. She was looking at her hand, but Mitsuki had already checked it. She hadn't been infected.

"That is true," he answered with a nod. "But what else?"

"Why does it matter?" Sarada snapped.

"If we know his motives, we can predict his next move. He needs one of us alive."

"But which one?" Sarada asked. "He went after all of us with the intent to kill."

Mitsuki nodded. That was true. The boy hadn't seemed to care who he was about to kill. "We will need to get gloves," he said. "And long sleeves and pants. This child can start the decaying process in living tissue. You almost lost your leg, Sarada. We cannot let that happen again." Both girls nodded and he looked down at his hands. Who would know anything about this? Where had the child come from and why was his chakra network more tangled than their internet connection back home? "We also need a town or village, preferably one with public computer access."

"What about Boruto?" Himawari asked.

"We'll need to find him too, but later. We need better transportation. I don't like being on foot, and Manna, where ever he went, isn't the best mount for this."

"We have to find my brother," Himawari snapped.

"We have to stay alive," Mitsuki argued. The two glared at each other. Mitsuki never understood how hard it was for others to make these calculations. Finding Boruto did not benefit their chances of survival. Boruto wasn't an idiot and could take care of himself. Obviously he wasn't that child's target.

"Mitsuki is right," Sarada interjected quickly. "We need to find some information as well as a flight."

"An airship, perhaps?"

"To where, exactly?" Sarada asked. "We don't know where Boruto is."

"This is true, but there is no way that Jinchuuriki keep going missing by the same group and no one has information on them."

Sarada looked confused for a moment, then smirked. "You devil," she teased.

"What?" Hima whined. "What did he do?"

"Airships are the travel method for merchants that need to travel long distances, like if they finish their rounds and they are eager to get home."

"Or," Mitsuki continued, "a way for the wealthy and the powerful to get places without having to walk or take a caravan."

"It's safer, with no bandits."

"For the most part," Mitsuki interjected. Sarada nodded to acknowledge his comment.

"And it's cheaper than paying for a ninja escort from a village."

"And freelancing ninja aren't exactly the most reliable." Mitsuki offered.

Himawari's eyes widened. Mitsuki smiled. It wasn't often that ninja got to ride an airship. He had only been on one once for an escort mission. Bandits often found it easier to steal from the ships. "But, we don't have enough money for three tickets, and no idea where to go," Sarada grumbled.

Mitsuki removed his headband. Freelance body guards were often cheaper than going to a ninja village. However, they would have to try and overcome the stigma that freelancers got. They had the skills, at least. "Then we'll just have to get hired," Mitsuki said with a smile.

Himawari's eyes widened. "Can we really get hired without a ninja village?" she asked.

Mitsuki nodded. He assumed that the economy in this world was similar to theirs. Though this world didn't seem to have the same stability in peace, they also hadn't been going through war after war. Their non-peace was less violent. They hadn't had any major wars in quite some time, it seemed. The landscape wasn't scarred by massive battles like their own. It was reasonable to believe that the two worlds had come to the same economic and social place by taking different paths. Even in Konoha, he had noticed the technological advances, though he wasn't sure how far they had come in the six years since the time Boruto had been there. He didn't feel like he was stepping into the past at all.

The three continued in silence while Mitsuki formulated a plan. They weren't dressed in any uniform, meaning that they could pass for freelancers. _Sarada might have the advantage,_ Mitsuki thought. _The Uchiha are alive in this world, sure, but it would be odd to have an Uchiha freelancer. They might be more willing to pay for us with her in the group._ He nodded. They could use their names, as they had no record. He decided to keep Himawari's identity as a Hyuuga secret for the time being.

As noon came around, they noticed a large town in the distance. Mitsuki smiled. It seemed to have exactly what they needed; it was busy and it had an airship yard. "Alright, guys, remember, we need information."

"This still seems like a roundabout way to find Boruto," Himawari grumbled. "Wouldn't it be easier to track him?"

Sarada shook her head. "Your brother has learned to hide from your father," she pointed out. "If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be found by tracking."

"But… The Byakugan," Hima retorted.

Sarada smiled. "Sweetie, he hides from you more than he hides from your father."

Mitsuki smiled softly as the two walked in front of him. He had always considered himself the calmest of the group, and often took on a leadership role. He shoved his hands in his pocket, watching Sarada explain to Himawari the plan that he had formulated. She modified it as she saw fit. He shook his head and laughed slightly. _She'll make a great Hokage,_ he thought with a nod.

 _Author's Note: Boruto didn't even appear in this chapter and all my inspiration came from_ his _movie! How can this be?! Anyway, even though I've seen the movie, the world building isn't exactly great as far as knowing what the economy is like and such, so I took notes from_ Hunter x Hunter, _which seems to be a similar economic and technological environment as the Narutoverse post_ Boruto: Naruto the Movie. _Though HxH seems a bit more advanced, because they have cars and stuff, but I know airships are part of the Narutoverse now, so leave me alone._

 _I hadn't planned on Mitsuki being the main commentator for this entire chapter, but I kind of adored his inner monologues in the Boruto novel, and I just had so much fun writing with him! Honestly, though, I really liked this chapter for some reason...! I hope you did too! Boruto shall return in the next chapter!_


	19. Jobs

_Author's Note: I don't really have much to say here... This chapter is tame compared to last chapter_

 _Chapter Nineteen: Jobs_

Boruto opened his eyes slowly. It was nearing night time again and he was no closer to finding anything that would lead him to Ansei. _I don't know where to find him,_ Boruto thought, annoyed. He looked around as his mount walked silently through the forest. _I guess the best thing to do would be to try and gather information about the group._ With that in mind, he moved his summon to start heading towards civilization.

Boruto stroked the wolf beneath him absently as they walked. He knew Himawari must want to kill him by that point. It was only natural. He would want to kill her as well if she had left him. _I did it for her,_ he thought, trying to justify his actions. He figured that eventually he would have to face the consequences. He'd let Himawari rough him up a little. _I'll probably deserve it anyway,_ he thought with a smile. They were probably looking for him, which he figured was more dangerous than finding Ansei. _But Hima will be safe. Mitsuki is a good team leader, after all… And Sarada... she's practically family. She wouldn't let Himawari get hurt._

Once he was satisfied that his teammates would protect his sister, he began trying to think of a way to find Ansei. Hanabi had said that the group didn't encounter problems that they couldn't handle. _But they would have to have some sort of notoriety,_ Boruto reasoned. _I just have to get some information…_

He wasn't sure where to go at that point, but it was clear he needed a city of a village. If Jinchuuriki were missing, then there would have to be news about it. Suddenly Boruto felt something in front of him. He gripped his weapon and searched the area. He noticed a cloaked figure before him. The man stared at Boruto for a moment before walking in the other direction. "Wait!" Boruto shouted, jumping off his wolf. He needed to know where the nearest town was. "I'm a little bit lost."

"You shouldn't trust strangers," the cloaked figure said. "What do you want, kid?" The man looked down at Boruto and the blonde shrank back away from the yellow eyes.

"I need to know where the nearest town is." The man didn't seem to be listening. He was looking at Boruto intently.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Boruto."

"I see…" Before Boruto could comprehend what was happening, the man reached out and branches flew at him. Boruto gasped, dodging quickly. "What are you doing?!"

The man looked at Boruto with unblinking eyes. "You could ruin my plans, brat."

Boruto's eyes widened. "Do you know Ansei?" he asked. It was such an odd coincidence. _I suppose not. Ansei wouldn't want to be too far from Konoha, after all._

"I was told you were dead," the creature growled.

"Where is he?" Boruto growled.

"He's alive," the creature assured Boruto. "You, however… You could be a problem."

Boruto blinked and fell out of his fighting stance. This man didn't seem aggressive anymore, but he didn't let his guard down.

"It wouldn't do to kill you, however," the creature muttered. "I might need you. My little brat seems to like you."

Boruto started backing away slowly. It wouldn't do for him to just listen to this man either. The man seemed to have wood release and Boruto had been taught at a young age to fear that technique, considering only one person he had met had it.

The black creature turned to Boruto and sighed. "Yes. You are coming with me. I will use you as a bargaining chip in case Ansei gains a soul. Come, come."

"I won't go down that easily," Boruto growled, gripping his kunai tightly.

"Your resistance is humorous. However, I am an immortal, ageless being that has been around far longer than your petty villages. I came here because I sensed your presence. You are connected to the Otsutsuki Clan, and while that should strike fear in the hearts of men, I am not of men, therefore I fear you not." Boruto continued backing away, trying to follow what this man was saying. He had only heard the Clan name once or twice, but he didn't quite get what this man was telling him. "Now, face me if you wish, but you should know that I don't particularly _need_ you alive."

Boruto smirked. There was nothing he couldn't do if he put his mind to it. Defeating this embarrassment to nature would be no different.

The man laughed softly. "You have spirit. I will enjoy snuffing that out…"

* * *

"Name?"

"Mitsuki."

"Surname?"

"None that I know of, sir," Mitsuki answered. They were standing in the lobby of a large building. There were several other mercenaries there, waiting to be registered.

"Affiliations?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Pardon?"

"Are you part of a mercenary guild, like the Akatsuki?" All three stiffened at the name.

 _Interesting,_ Sarada thought. _It seems that the Akatsuki are law-abiding citizens in this world._

"No, sir. None of us are," Mitsuki answered.

"Hm. How odd." The man muttered. "A group of children who think they will get hired here without being affiliated with a group. Good luck."

"Thank you." Mitsuki said with a bow. Sarada giggled softly. Mitsuki didn't often do things out of spite, but when he did, she enjoyed it.

Himawari stepped forward and went through the registration process as well.

"An Uzumaki, hm? Must not be pure bred, considering your hair. Do you know the other half of your lineage?"

"No, sir," Himawari lied sheepishly.

"Very well. Next?"

Sarada stepped forward. "Uchiha Sarada," she said quietly.

The man blinked. "We don't take kindly to liars here, child," he snapped.

Sarada narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently. "Are you insinuating that I would be lying about being an Uchiha? You realize that they would kill me if they found out that I was impersonating their clan."

"I apologize, ma'am," the man said quickly. "But Uchiha freelancers are rarer than even Hyuuga, especially in recent years. I will need confirmation of your lineage."

"Of course," Sarada said with a smile. She activated her Sharingan and the man gasped softly. He bowed his head.

"I deeply apologize for insinuating that you were lying."

"It is no problem."

The man finished typing them into the system and then handed them their ID cards. "Are you looking for free passage or payment?" he asked.

"Payment," Mitsuki answered. Sarada nodded. They had already gone through what they would say and their requests. They needed money in order to survive in this world longer, and they didn't really know where they were going. Some freelancers registered in order to get free passage to their destination, since bodyguards rode for free.

"Any location you prefer?"

"None." Mitsuki said. The man nodded again.

"Thank you. You three are on the second floor, room sixteen. We will let you know if you are hired."

Sarada nodded as Mitsuki took their room key from the man. Another good thing about being registered through an agency like this is that they provided lodging for the people they employed. Sarada had heard how some would simply sign up with no hope of getting hired just for a free room. It didn't work all the time, and most didn't want to take the risk of someone actually hiring them because they were cheap, but sometimes free food and board was worth the risk of being hired for a potentially deadly mission.

The three made it to their room and Sarada's eyes widened. They had been given a spacious suite with a living room, and two bedrooms. "Hm. It seems there are perks to traveling with an Uchiha," Mitsuki said. "The rules are that one of us must be here at all times in order to take a call saying we are hired. Employers are required to offer an at least twelve hour notice before departure. We need to make use of that time." The three nodded. "We need information on the Jinchuuriki of this world. How many are left, and if anyone has seen any members of this group. Even a number of how many there are will work." He turned to Himawari. "You will remain here."

She pouted.

"He's right," Sarada said. "Mitsuki and I will split up. If that brat comes back, he wouldn't dare attack here. These people may be hands for hire, but they wouldn't let that kid hurt you."

"Food here is free for registered guests," Mitsuki continued. "Order as much as you like, but don't leave the room. If we are hired, then we need to be able to take the call."

"Yessir," Himawari grumbled. She fell onto the couch and turned on the TV. Sarada looked at it for a moment.

 _I wonder if any of our programming made it onto this world's TV,_ she thought with a shrug. She and Mitsuki walked out of the room and then out of the building. "I'll hit some bars. Drunk men have loose tongues."

"It's a bit early in the day for drinking," Mitsuki said with a shrug. "Besides, you aren't twenty one yet."

Sarada frowned. She didn't like that the man was right. "Fine. Hot springs it is," Sarada said with a smile. "Do we have enough?" Mitsuki nodded.

"Find one with mixed bathing." Sarada blushed slightly and glared at him. "You are beautiful," he said with a shrug. "It would be a shame to waste it."

"I'd rather get answers from them with my Sharingan," Sarada snapped angrily. She knew he meant it as a logical strategy, but she didn't like being asked to use her body like that.

"You are quite possibly the only Uchiha in this town," he said. "Let's not draw attention."

"Fine. You get information your way, and I'll get it my way."

"Very well," Mitsuki said. "I will meet you back here in two hours."

Sarada nodded and watched as her teammate walked away. She sighed. _Boruto, I'm going to kill you,_ she thought angrily. _But I guess I'll have to get in line, hm?_ She started for the bathhouse, trying to think of another way to go about this. It wouldn't do to draw attention to themselves, though she supposed registering as an Uchiha mercenary would draw enough attention without her going around and putting people into genjutsu. Upon arriving at the bathhouse, she got into the changing room and went out into the public bath after showering. No one paid the young woman any mind. At first she sat alone in her own corner, observing the people in the bath.

At the current time, there were three men, four woman and one boy. He was slightly younger than she was, but he had a look of intelligence in him. _Maybe he has some answers._ She slowly made her way over to the boy and sat down beside him. "This is a lovely town," she started carefully. The boy looked around to make sure that she was talking to him, and then nodded.

"Yes, it is," he said. "I love visiting here."

"Really? Do you come here often?" Sarada asked.

"As often as I can. I make a living being a bodyguard for the rich." He pointed to one of the men in the bath who seemed to be sleeping. "Right now he's my job."

 _Ah. So not as naïve as I thought._ "You must have seen a lot of the world." He nodded. "That's amazing! I'm actually registered as a bodyguard as well. My team and I need some money."

"Hm. A lot of people believe that it is a good way to get money. It's not easy. Jobs can become dangerous very quickly."

 _Really? I didn't know that,_ Sarada thought, but she smiled. "I guess my friends and I are a bit naïve. We thought this would be an easy and quick way to get money."

The boy grinned back at his, swirling the water slowly. "No. I'm sure you will be fine. But there is a group." Sarada looked back at him intently. "They don't have a name, but I've heard they're dangerous. I haven't encountered them, though, but I've heard anyone who has encountered them either didn't make it out alive, or will never fight again." Sarada narrowed her eyes. It seemed like something that she didn't want to deal with.

"Do you have any idea where we would find these guys?"

The boy shook his head slowly. "No, I don't, but you shouldn't seek them out. It's best to avoid them if you can. You aren't a Jinchuuriki, are you?" Sarada shook her head. "Good. You'll be fine, then." He stood slowly and started for the entrance to the bath. "Good luck, kid," he said with a wave. He walked to his charge and woke the man up. They departed. Sarada frowned. She didn't like their odds with this group.

 _Surely they aren't as bad as everyone keeps saying,_ she reasoned. She stayed in the tub for a while longer, but heard nothing else about the mysterious group that went after Jinchuuriki. If she did find someone who had any information, no one knew what they looked like. After a while, she met up with Mitsuki, who had about the same luck as she had trying to find information about these people. They were literally ghosts. The Akatsuki In their world had been in the Bingo books, but no one seemed to know anything about this new group except that a Hyuuga was the head of it, which they already knew.

"That was pointless," Mitsuki muttered, "though I did get free drinks."

"How did you…? Never mind," Sarada muttered, bowing her head. It didn't matter how he managed to do it, anyway. They made their way inside and Himawari waved at them.

"Hey! We got hired!"

Sarada stopped and blinked. "So soon?" she asked.

"Yeah! We leave tomorrow morning! We're supposed to meet them at seven in the lobby."

Mitsuki sighed deeply. "Seems like we won't get as much time here as I had hoped," he muttered. "Who are they? What is the meaning of the mission?"

Himawari shrugged. "They said we would get the mission details tomorrow morning. They're names, however, are Nikko and Saimin."

* * *

"I can't believe you went and hired ninja!" Saimin snapped as she walked into the hotel room. "We are trained assassins! Your father apprenticed under The Demon of the Hidden Mist himself! We don't need three little brats protecting us!"

Nikko shrugged. He was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in their abilities. "Calm down. I know what I'm doing."

"You're wasting our money is what you're doing," Saimin groaned. She stood over the bed and stared down at her partner. "Unhire them!"

Nikko blinked and looked at his partner with a bored stare. "Look, Saimin," he started. "We're going after a Jinchuuriki… Not _just_ a Jinchuuriki, but the last free one. Even if we do get her on a ship, we'd still have people coming after us. Wouldn't it be better to have five people protecting our little cargo instead of just two of us?" he reasoned. "See?"

Saimin closed her eyes, but Nikko knew she was starting to see the logic in their plan. "But you _had_ to hire the most expensive group?"

"Of course!" Nikko said. "How often do you think we'd get a chance to work with an Uchiha? I figured you'd like it, considering you are a genjutsu master after all."

"We don't _need_ an Uchiha," Saimin snapped. "Besides, I don't need to take lessons from them."

"Sure."

Nikko smirked. Unlike in the previous world, this world had Uchiha for longer and had built around defending against them. In the original world, they only had to fight the Sharingan occasionally. In this world, they fought it constantly, caused a myriad of defense mechanisms against it that the original world did not have. "You're impossible, but I guess it won't be any worse than wasting our money on drinking or gambling. How do you plan on tricking them into thinking this isn't illegal?"

"Well, the plan is simple enough. We're presenting this as an escort mission. I already have people who will have her ready for us when we get there."

"How the heck did you manage that?" Saimin snapped.

Nikko smirked. "You'd be surprised how much you can buy with the right amount of money. I have one of her body guards getting her for me. But, anyway, they will think that any attacks that come have come to kill her, not rescue her."

"Won't they just tell the brats that they are there to take her home?"

"Why would they?" Nikko asked. "For all they know, those brats are in on the deal. We'll pay them and then move out before they realize what they've done."

"Won't they get suspicious?" Saimin asked softly. "Especially if they can feel that the target is a Jinchuuriki? And what if she wakes up, hm, and begs for her life to the brats?"

"That's where you come in. You need to keep her under a genjutsu."

"We're bringing an Uchiha," Saimin argued.

"Why do you doubt me?" Nikko groaned, finally sitting up on the bed. "Look, I have all of this covered. Don't worry your pretty little head about, Sai."

She narrowed her purple eyes at him and he turned away quickly, not wanting to find himself in a nightmare for the rest of the night. "You're worthless, but I guess I can't deny you your fun… Let's hope your contacts come through."

"They will," Nikko growled. He picked up a room temperature glass of water and focused on it. Frost appeared on the glass and he brought the chilled drink to his lips. "They wouldn't want to disappoint Hyōton no Yuki Nikko…"

* * *

Boruto opened his eyes slowly. Everything hurt, and he remembered none of it. His chest hurt and his heart was pounding against his ribs, despite having been unconscious. He groaned softly. But his hands were bound to the floor, palms down so he couldn't even clench his fist. He was forced into a kneeling position and couldn't move from that spot. He didn't remember the fight with the black creature, but if he had to guess, it would assume it didn't go well for him.

 _What was that thing?_ He thought. He closed his eyes to try and clear his aching head, but nothing helped. He felt weak and ill, and the stench in the room didn't help either. He wanted to vomit, but he realized that he had nothing in his stomach to dispose of.

"Ah, you are awake," the black creature said as he came to look at his prisoner. "Do not even think about using jutsu, child," he instructed. "You cannot. Not only do I need your chakra blocked so you cannot escape, but I cannot have Ansei finding out about our little guest."

"It's hot in here," Boruto growled, trying not to react to Ansei's name. If Ansei was there, then he had to have some sort of hope of getting out. _I shouldn't have left the group,_ he berated angrily. _No,_ he revised. _This thing just needs me alive, not the others. It would have killed them. It's better this way. Stay safe, guys._ He stomach lurched, but still nothing came out.

"Sorry," the creature said with a shrug. "I hope you enjoy your stay." He started walking away, but stopped. Boruto looked out of the cell to see a small child. The boy said something. "They got away? How?" he hissed.

"I messed up, Kami-sama. I cannot apologize enough. Nothing I say can make up for this stupid mistake."

"You are right, but I will not punish you. I have at least one thing that might please you." The two walked back to Boruto's cell. "This little brat is yours now."

The child smirked. "Can I kill him?"

"Not yet. But you need to keep Ansei away from here until we finish with our training. We can wait on the condition for now. But I do not expect failure again, Akuryo."

"Of course." The child bowed and then turned to Boruto as the black beast left.

Boruto took a moment to look at the boy. Right now he had gloves on his hands, but any place that he saw skin, it was scarred or calloused. _He's been through a lot._ Boruto even noticed what appeared to be whip lashings on his skin. "Name's Boruto," he offered with a strained smile.

"Akuryo," the boy greeted flatly.

 _Not very talkative, is he?_ "So… who's that freak anyway?"

The boy's dead grey eyes seemed to spark life and he turned his head sharply towards Boruto. "Do _not_ speak of Lord Zetsu with anything but respect," he growled.

Boruto blinked. "Okay… Why?" he asked flatly, trying to get information out of this kid. _Or at least to connect with him. He's young. He can't be all bad._ "Did he save you or something?"

"I can't be saved," the boy answered with a shrug. "He gave me something more valuable than anything else. I owe him my life, my service and my worship. Nothing less will do."

 _You're weird,_ Boruto thought. "What did he do?"

"He gave me power. He turned me from a hopeless, worthless creature into something that was needed. He showed me that there was beauty in what I could do and I shouldn't fear my abilities, I should use them… to burn the world to the ground."

 _You're definitely weird,_ Boruto thought again. "That's… nice…" The child scoffed and closed his eyes. "What, no story time? You aren't going to dive into your deep, dark path for me? I'm sure you're hiding something. One doesn't get to feel that low of themselves without being told it one too many times. What was it? Dead family members? A village hated you? You killed everyone who ever cares about you? You were denied the right to exist? Abused?" He knew he was being mean, but he didn't care. He had heard all the sad stories and didn't really care to hear another one. He had learned long ago that just because your life was hell, it didn't give you the right to make sure everyone else lived there too. "I've heard it all."

"I was a slave," the boy answered angrily.

Boruto blinked and cocked his head. "Oh." _Well, now don't I look like a jerk?_

"That's all you need to know about it," Akuryo snapped. "The past is the past. I've moved on from that chapter in my life. It has only made me stronger."

"Look, even if your life was bad-"

"I'm not here because of that," Akuryo growled. "I couldn't care less about the people that did this to me! I learned something valuable there. I thank them for it actually! I learned that people are the real monsters in this world! I am no worse or better than anything in this forsaken place! I'm a monster, just like you are. Zetsu-sama, however… He is something more than human. _That_ is why I am here! Humans are the disgusting and vile beasts that crawl on this beautiful Earth. I fight so that the world can be rid of the disease known as humanity once and for all!"

* * *

Mitsuki looked at Sarada and Himawari as they got ready to meet their employers. Mitsuki stared in the mirror and closed his eyes. He wasn't so sure about this, but this was his idea and they couldn't back out now. The three walked in silence until they got to the lobby. A blue haired man with ice blue eyes was waiting for them with a beautiful woman beside. _He's not any older than I am,_ Mitsuki thought.

"You must be our employers," Mitsuki said with a bow.

"You bet!" the man said with a wide grin. The woman rolled her eyes.

"That's Nikko and I'm Saimin," she said.

"It is a pleasure, I'm sure," Mitsuki said. "I am Mitsuki, and my companions are Himawari and Sarada."

"The pleasure is all ours," Saimin said with a smile. The entire group started for the door and walked out. "Now, the mission is fairly simple and we don't expect there to be any problems. We are picking up a young girl from the Land of Snow. She will have many assassins coming after her."

"She's being relocated because a civil war in about to break out," Nikko interjected softly. "We are also keeping her sedated and her chakra repressed."

"That's why we need as many guards as we could afford," Saimin explained. "To keep the target safe, we have to make sure her enemies can't track us."

"Makes sense," Sarada agreed with a nod. "What will we be doing on the flight down there?"

"You three are free to do whatever you wish on the ship on the way there. You will not be getting off in the Land of Snow. Saimin and I will take care of picking up the target. You will get your payment when we return to this city. We've already paid the agency."

Mitsuki nodded slowly. He didn't like these guys. He couldn't explain it, but they just had an air about them, but both Sarada and Himawari seemed at ease. _Maybe I am being too paranoid…_ he thought with a nod. _Hang in there, Boruto. We'll come get you. Just don't go do something stupid until we get there._

 _Author's Note: Hey look, I'm back to rapid updates! XD There was more I wanted to put into this chapter, but I realized it was running a little long. There will be a funny scene in the next chapter._

 _And before you get mad at me, yes, Haku lived in this world… and lived long enough to have a son._


	20. Monsters

_Author's Note: More crazy stuff! All the crazy stuff!_

 _Chapter Twenty: Monsters_

 _World I_

"You _let_ them go back?!"

Naruto looked up from the paperwork he was reading and sighed. "Good morning to you as well, Sasuke," he greeted.

"Why did you let them go back?"

"'Let' is giving me too much credit," Naruto grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It implies that I could have stopped them."

"How are you so calm about this?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm not," Naruto muttered, "but the village isn't going to stop. It's not like I don't know where they are, and according to the inventor, they have a way back this time."

"Who all went?"

"As far as I know, Boruto, Sarada, Himawari and Mitsuki."

"Mitsuki?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell Orochimaru that his son has gone to a dangerous alternate dimension, or should I?"

"Oh…" Naruto hadn't thought about that. It wasn't that he was okay with his son and daughter disobeying a direct order to not go, but he knew worrying about it wasn't going to help. Boruto was a formidable force now, and he was sure his son could take care of himself and his sister. In truth, Naruto was more worried about what Himawari would do to Boruto than what the people of that world would do to him. "I hadn't planned on telling him, actually. There's nothing he can do about it."

Sasuke smirked. "Do you really want him to find out through the grapevine?"

Naruto bowed his head. "It's not like he can come down here. The situation is being handled."

"Is it? Because I have a letter from Orochimaru asking why his son hasn't been given leave to visit him."

Naruto looked up sharply. "You spoke with Orochimaru? When?! And why?"

"A week ago and I had some business with Karin and Suigetsu, and they happened to be at Orochimaru's base."

"Catching up on old times, then?" Naruto asked.

"Shut up."

"Don't speak to your Hokage like that." Naruto leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I guess I should tell him."

"Are you going to let him come to the village?"

"Why? There's really nothing to be done about it," Naruto muttered. "All that can be done is to sit here and be worried, which he doesn't really strike me as the kind of guy who would worry about that child."

Sasuke leaned against the wall. "Are you implying something?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged. "It can't be easy for Mitsuki."

"He respects Orochimaru."

"But does he _love_ him?"

Sasuke blinked, then shrugged. "I don't think that word is in Orochimaru's lexicon."

Naruto pulled out a piece of paper. "Who knows?" he muttered and then started writing a letter. "I'll let him know."

 _World II_

Himawari's eyes were wide as they walked onto the airship field. She stuck close to Sarada. This was the first time she had even been on an airship and she was rightfully excited to get on one. Mitsuki was calmer, however. He had been on one before, but not one this large. He smiled down at the two girls, then looked forward as they boarded the massive ship. He handed the woman at the boarding station his registration card and smiled at her kindly. She scanned it, welcomed him to their ship, and stepped aside.

"It's so big!" Himawari gasped.

Nikko turned to their guards. "You've never been on one of these babies, have you?" he asked.

"No sir!" Himawari said, nodding rapidly. "It's bigger than I thought!"

Nikko smiled and patted her heard. Mitsuki tensed slightly and Sarada turned to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Mitsuki muttered. He allowed his hands to relax. He wasn't sure why he felt such an aversion to these people, but he decided that they were paying him, so he might as well try to play nice. They walked up the staircase that led to the main deck.

Nikko turned to them and smiled. "We will be on the third floor," he said. "Your room is beside ours. You are free to do whatever you wish until we get to the Land of Snow."

"No one will come after you to stop the relocation?" Sarada asked.

"They shouldn't. No one but a select few even know we're coming. Enjoy your day. We should be landing in the morning." The two employers walked away towards the elevators that would take them to the commons. Mitsuki sighed once they were gone, shoving his hands in his pocket.

"You seem on the edge, Mitsuki," Sarada muttered. "Do you not trust them?"

Mitsuki sighed again, looking at the ground. "It is odd that two seemingly strong ninja hired three kids," he admitted.

"It is different," Sarada agreed. "But not so odd. Sometimes ninja would just rather relax. Even the most powerful ninja don't go into battle alone."

"I guess…" Mitsuki grumbled. "Anyway, we need to get information. I will take Himawari with me."

Himawari frowned. "I can go by myself, Mitsuki!" she protested.

"I'd rather you stick with me," Mitsuki said. "We will look over the ship while we're at it."

"You just want to sightsee," Sarada teased. "I thought you've been on an airship before."

"I have, but she hasn't." Mitsuki answered with a shrug. "We will regroup later. Try not to spend all our money."

Mitsuki grabbed Himawari's hand and the two started down towards the main deck. The airship was similar to a cruise ship. Since this was a longer flight, it had entertainment and restaurants. The ship was massive in scale. The one Mitsuki had been on for his mission was smaller and didn't have all the bells and whistles that this one had. "They must be rich," he thought out loud. "Not only to hire three trained ninja, but to also pay for such a voyage." He figured to was, in the long run, cheaper to be on the airship than it would be to have to find shelter and then voyage across the sea in order to get to the Land of Snow.

"They must be," Himawari agreed. She was just as enthusiastic as Mitsuki wasn't. She darted around, looking at all the things to be seen. When the ship took off, Mitsuki took her to the observation deck to watch the city disappear as they got higher. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed playfully. Mitsuki let a soft smile appear on his lips. It was rare. He wasn't known to be subtle. If he wanted to smile, he usually let his grin cover his entire face in an almost comical display; but looking at his teammate's sister acting so amazed by the miracle of flight made his rare, endearing smile appear.

He turned away quickly and looked below them. The deck was a huge glass dome that guests could walk on and experience the world as they flew over it. "Are you having fun?" he asked the girl.

She nodded. "But I'm still worried about brother," she grumbled. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Your brother is a powerful force," Mitsuki assured her. "He won't be taken down easily. With any luck, we will get to him before he gets to them."

Himawari pouted for a moment, then nodded. "Let's go, then! Don't we need information?"

Mitsuki nodded. The two went around the ship speaking to many guests. Mitsuki used this as an opportunity to train Himawari in gathering Intel. He made sure to use techniques that would make it seem like he wasn't as interested in the answers. However, the only problem was that the people didn't seem to know anything about the disappearance of the Jinchuuriki. They thought it was a terrible tragedy, but no one knew anything about the Jinchuuriki.

Mitsuki sighed and fell onto one the bay windows. The sun was setting outside and he closed his eyes. "That was a waste of time," he muttered. They were no closer to finding Boruto, and they were on a ship that was taking them further away from him.

Himawari sat beside him. "Do you think Boruto is okay?" she asked.

"I do. Your brother is a hard-headed, stubborn fool, but he's not an idiot, and he's not weak," Mitsuki assured her. "Don't worry about him."

Himawari smiled sadly. "But… I can't help but we worried."

Mitsuki smiled at her. "Please don't fret. Boruto is a good man."

He leaned against the window to watch the sun set. "Are you two the ones asking about the Jinchuuriki?"

Mitsuki jumped and turned to see a woman standing in front of them. "Y-yes ma'am," Mitsuki answered softly.

"My son… was a Jinchuuriki," she whispered. Mitsuki's eyes widened. "He disappeared…"

"Did you see his kidnapper?" Mitsuki asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding too frantic.

The woman nodded. He could tell she was holding back tears. _How old was the child…?_ Mitsuki asked himself silently. "My son was only a toddler," she whispered. "There were two boys that took him. An ice user… and a terrible monster." She shuddered. "Anything he touched died. M-my husband…" She covered her mouth as the tears fell. Mitsuki looked at her for a moment.

 _That child who could rot flesh…_ He _was the kidnapper?!_ Mitsuki's eyes widened. Himawari moved to the woman and hugged her gently. Mitsuki watched them for a moment. "Why are you telling us this?" he asked.

"I want them dead," the woman snapped. "They must pay for what they did."

Mitsuki nodded. "Did you happen to get a good look at the ice user?" he asked.

The woman shook her head. "No," she whispered. "He was wearing a hood."

Mitsuki sighed deeply. "We will do what we must, ma'am," he said with his signature smile.

"Thank you," she whispered. She patted Himawari on the head and then backed away from them. The two sat in silence for several moments.

"We should go tell Sarada what we learned," he muttered finally.

"That kid knew who we were," Himawari whimpered. Mitsuki nodded slowly. That meant just one thing. There was no other way their enemies knew they were there. Boruto had been compromised. He stood and walked quickly to their room. They were stuck on this mission until it was over, which, hopefully, would be the day after tomorrow.

Once Sarada returned to the room, Mitsuki told her about what they had learned, even down to his theory that Boruto had been compromised.

"Do you think he's okay?" Sarada asked. Himawari wasn't in their room at the moment.

Mitsuki shrugged. "I don't know why they would want him," he muttered. "And Ansei is leading this troop, so it wouldn't make sense for him to kill Boruto, would it?"

Sarada bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Ansei was unstable," she muttered. "He was crazy. I wouldn't put it past him to kill Boruto in order to keep his odd version of reality intact." Mitsuki fell onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"We have to keep faith," he said finally. "We do not know for certain if this is a rescue mission or not, and we cannot treat it as such until we know Boruto has been compromised."

"That idiot," Sarada growled. "Why did he leave to go by himself? He just _had_ to make this harder for us, didn't he?" She hurled a pillow at the door and hugged the other one to her chest.

"Is it really so surprising?" Mitsuki asked. Boruto had never been exactly a team player. It wasn't that he felt he didn't need a team… he just felt like he had to take everything alone. If anyone got hurt, he would take it personally, even though Mitsuki was often team leader and when he wasn't around Sarada took over. Boruto was the least likely to lead their team, but he was also a lone wolf. _No wonder he was summoned to them,_ Mitsuki thought.

He rolled over to look at the darkening landscape. He had always thought of Boruto as a lone wolf, even if he was perfectly comfortable in a team. Whenever they spoke of this strange world, Boruto would describe Ansei as a sleeping dragon. Mitsuki was never quite sure what Boruto meant, having never been in a full-on battle in his life. He had never experienced an opponent that had strength that could be felt and could make someone weak in the knees; and he definitely had not fought an opponent that didn't want his full strength to be shown.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "He'll be fine," he said to Sarada.

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't," Mitsuki said. He rolled over to look at his teammate. "But what's the point in thinking that we will find him dead, hm?" he asked. Her response was to hit him with the pillow.

"Don't joke about that!" she snapped angrily.

"I wasn't," Mitsuki offered quietly. "I simply meant that it would do us no good to think that our teammate is dead. If we were to simply give up on Boruto, then what would be the point of continuing this mission? We have to believe that Boruto is alive… If he's not, then we might as well go home."

Sarada studied Mitsuki for a long moment before turning away. "I guess you're right," she muttered.

He smiled at her. "Do not worry, Sarada! Boruto is most likely cursing himself now for leaving us behind…"

* * *

The screaming had left his throat raw. Blood trickled from his bare back and his whole body burned. The whip came down again and Boruto let out another scream, cursing himself for giving in to the pain.

Zetsu stood not too far off. He didn't want Akuryo to kill Boruto. He needed Boruto alive, but he also needed Boruto broken. Boruto shook his head slowly, trying to find the place where pain couldn't reach him. "You obviously don't know how to take a beating," Akuryo taunted playfully.

"If there a purpose for this?" Boruto snapped.

"Seems he still has some fight in him, my lord," Akuryo said to Zetsu. Boruto looked up at thee black creature and sighed. Zetsu was watching with apathy as his pet beat his prisoner.

"That is enough for now, Akuryo," he said. The boy frowned, but handed the bloodied whip to his master and left to clean up. "It is so hard to keep him happy," Zetsu grumbled.

Boruto closed his eyes. He had experienced their strange relationship firsthand. Akuryo worshipped Zetsu as a god and Zetsu treated the child kindly enough. It didn't seem to be abusive. Even when the boy messed up or was clumsy, Zetsu only had the kindest words for his little pet. It was some sort of perversion of a master/student relationship. He was loathed to admit that it was very near a relationship shared between father and son. "I don't have any information for you," Boruto muttered.

"I know," Zetsu answered, "but Akuryo requires his fun, and I did not feel like finding him another prisoner."

"Why don't you just kill me, then?" Boruto growled.

"Because it's not very fun," Zetsu muttered. "There is a beauty in watching humans struggle to maintain their sanity in situations like this. Their resistance is almost like poetry; tragic and beautiful. I've lived quite some time among your kind, and I have seen my fair share of people who refused to give up, even with their dying breath. It is utterly fascinating that humans hold their beliefs above their own lives. I've seen plenty of humans who would rather die than denounce their village, or their friends, or even their god. It is so odd."

Boruto shook his head again. Zetsu fancied himself a poet at times. Boruto couldn't blame him, though. This creature was indeed intelligent. He could almost feel how ancient the creature was whenever they came into close proximity. He demanded respect. It was no wonder that Akuryo had attached himself to such a beast. Boruto wouldn't go so far as to say he would also follow Zetsu with as much reckless abandon as Akuryo, but Boruto had to admit that he was in awe of it.

Zetsu stepped into the cell and squatted before his prisoner. Boruto recoiled for the outstretched hand. "No need for that. We will not kill you, child. Ansei would not like it."

"Why do you need Ansei?" Boruto asked finally.

Zetsu sighed, closing his soulless yellow eyes. "It is a long, complicated story. He is simply a piece in a massive puzzle."

"Destiny," Boruto muttered. "That's bull! He's not your plaything!"

Zetsu looked offended for a moment. "Why, dear child, do you believe that I am trying to use him as my plaything? It is not destiny! I could have done this generations ago, but the conditions were not met until this generation. Ansei is simply an unlucky creature. Nothing more to be said about it."

"What condition?" Boruto asked.

"Would it not be nice for you if I explained everything?" Zetsu asked with a shrug.

"Worth a shot," Boruto mumbled.

"Indeed." He stood. "But if you must know, I have been tracking the reincarnation cycle of two siblings in this world. An ancient family. Ansei is the reincarnation of the younger sibling. The other one had not appeared in this world until _this_ generation."

"And you think _I'm_ that reincarnation?" Boruto concluded.

Zetsu chuckled slightly. "No, no, child. You are not so important to my plans, fear not. If you were, then I would have both reincarnations here and I would not bother with torturing you and stalling for time." He leaned against the wall. "For the longest time, I could not find the reincarnation cycle. I could feel whenever the younger sibling died and was reborn, but I never felt the elder… Not until six years ago." Boruto blinked. "Whatever you did when you came here the first time restarted the cycle for the elder. But I have once again been unable to find it… Until a few days ago. Odd, is it not?"

"Who is it?" Boruto growled.

Zetsu shrugged. "I am unsure."

Boruto bowed his head. Now he knew the real reason they were keeping him alive; it obviously had to do with the reincarnation cycle. Zetsu was trying to lure the group here.

"What's the point?" he asked.

Zetsu shrugged. "You know… destroying the earth and all," he teased. Boruto had a feeling that wasn't Zetsu's end game, but he didn't say as much. "You are a powerful little beast." He turned towards where Akuryo vanished. "So is that monster. I wonder… if you two faced off, who would win?" Boruto narrowed his eyes, but didn't answer the question. "There is a fascinating elegance in his abilities," Zetsu continued. "I do not know what gives him such abilities. In all my years upon this earth, I have not experienced his type of chakra."

"What can he do?" Boruto asked.

Zetsu smiled. "Would that not ruin the surprise?" he asked. Zetsu started for the door, leaving Boruto in the cell. "I will send someone soon to tend to your wounds. We cannot have you dying, can we?"

Boruto watched Zetsu go. He cursed himself for his weakness. He couldn't move. _Please, guys… stay away… Let me die if you have to._

* * *

Ansei gripped the ground to slow his body before slamming into a large wall of stone. "You're pathetic!"

"Shut up," Ansei growled softly, but not loudly enough to be heard by his attacker. He stood shakily. Blood trickled from a wound on his forehead and his hands shook with anger and pain. Before him stood the silver-haired boy that had tormented him for the majority of his life.

The relationship between the two had always been an odd one. Ansei had always been aware that the other boy didn't exist, but the wounds weren't done to himself. "Are you going to sit there all day? Or are you going to attack me, little brother?"

Ansei shook his head. _This doesn't make any sense! I'm supposed to be training to control the fox, not fighting my inner demons!_

The sliver-haired child laughed. "Do you really think those two things aren't connected?" he teased. Ansei ran at his counterpart and the two clashed. The silver-haired one was stronger, however, and Ansei fell to the ground after a hit to his stomach. He felt like vomiting. A foot impacted his face, making him roll over on the ground. "This is by far the worst state you've ever been in! Fight me!" he shouted.

Ansei stood shakily. "What… is this?" he snapped.

He was thrown back by another attack. "You are a moron, Ansei! So naïve and so innocent! Ha!" He ran at the Jinchuuriki and grabbed his throat. "I've been waiting for this moment our whole life!"

Ansei struggled against the other boy. How was this even possible? The silver-haired boy didn't exist! "This isn't real!" Ansei gasped, but he couldn't deny that he couldn't breathe. He struggled harder.

"Is it?" the silver-haired asked. He let Ansei fall to the ground, coughing and shaking.

"What is this?" Ansei asked again.

The boy knelt before his "brother." "You really don't know, do you?" he asked. He pushed the other boy on the ground, "To even meet the fox, you have to defeat me first." He smirked. "But you and I both know that won't happen."

"What happens if I lose?" Ansei muttered.

"I don't know."

Ansei bowed his head. His entire life, he had been told who he was and what he would do. Now he was faced with the opportunity to make something of himself, but he had no confidence to defeat the other boy. _I am pathetic,_ he thought, staring down at his hands. _These hands have killed too many times. Can I really kill again? Even if he isn't alive…?_

"You seem conflicted."

"You can hear my thoughts?"

"I _am_ you!" the silver-haired boy snapped, throwing his hands in the air with an exasperated sigh. "I'm something you created in hopes to divorce yourself from your evil tendencies. It didn't really work out for you, considering you still ended up as a murderer!"

Ansei looked at the other boy and closed his eyes. It was true. He hadn't been able to separate himself from the silver-haired boy. He had let the thing enter his dreams and keep him up at night. He had let the entity haunt every choice he made; whisper in his ear to murder. He couldn't _blame_ the entity, because they were one in the same. Ansei stood shakily.

"Oh. What's this? Are you going to fight me now, little brother?" Ansei lunged at the boy and dodged the attack that came. Instead of countering, he reached up and ripped the blindfold off his counterpart. The boy stumbled back, covering his eyes with his hand. Ansei looked down at the black fabric and blinked. He began to shudder as he turned to the other boy. He was laughing, holding his face to the point where he was digging his nails into his own flesh.

Ansei took a step back, letting the fabric fall to the ground. The laughter got more manic the farther away Ansei got from the other. The boy let his hand fall from his now bleeding face and he turned his eyeless sockets to look at Ansei with a manic grin on his face.

 _Author's Note: Yikes. This chapter was rewritten a couple times… And I'm still not entirely sure I like it completely, however, this was the best version of the chapter! Hope ya'll enjoyed it! BTW, Ansei's crazy. Have you figured that out yet?_

 _Also, I've messed around with the lore, as I said in a previous chapter, so the rules for activating the Rinnegan are different in this world._


	21. Discovery

_Chapter Twenty-One: Discovery_

Ansei stumbled back, glaring at his eyeless opponent. "Surprised?" the boy asked. Ansei nodded, though he wasn't sure if the other thing before him could see him, though the thought was ludicrous, as the other boy didn't truly exist. "You cannot defeat me, little brother, so why don't we strike up a deal?"

"A… deal?" Ansei asked shakily. He wondered what would happen if he died in this fight. Would he die for real? _Could_ he die?

"Yes, a deal," the boy answered. "You and I… we have always worked with one another together. Why can we not continue this?" Ansei blinked slowly. "You cannot beat the fox into submission alone, and destroying me will only cause you to face the beast one on one. If we fight together, we will stand a greater chance of defeating it."

Ansei studied the other boy for a long moment, then closed his eyes. He made sense. "But, aren't I supposed to win this first?" he asked.

"Why waste the energy? If we are both willing, why should you try to destroy me?"

Ansei thought about it. In truth, destroying the other entity wasn't the point. He was supposed to accept the other boy as a part of himself and to quell the anger inside of them both, but he didn't know that. All he knew was that this other entity had been useful throughout his life in keeping him sane (or driving him insane) and he had never wanted to get rid of the other boy. "You're right," he said. He reached up and took the eyeless boy's hand.

 _Break_

The pick-up was relatively uneventful. Sarada watched their employers disembark the ship while she and Mitsuki waited for them to return. Himawari was waiting back in the ship, scanning the area for traps or shinobi trying to hitch a ride and stop them. "What do you think of our employers?" Mitsuki asked over the wind. It was cold in the Land of Snow, for obvious reasons.

"They seem nice, if not a little weird!" Sarada called to him. Mitsuki shrugged. He seemed entirely unbothered by the freezing wind and Sarada envied that. Even in his light clothes, he didn't show discomfort at the wind. Sarada turned away from her teammate. She was just as worried about Boruto as Himawari was, and while they had the information they needed, they were stuck on this mission for a little while longer. She was itching to go and find Boruto before anything bad happened to him.

Mitsuki closed his eyes and rubbed his arm. "It's a bit chilly up here!" he called to her. Sarada sighed. They were really out of things to talk about it Mitsuki was trying to make small talk about the weather.

"A bit?" Sarada repeated, annoyed. "It's freezing!"

"Yes, well…" Mitsuki trailed off and looked down at his booted feet. Sarada turned to look out as their employers walked towards them, an unconscious girl in the woman's arms. Nikko waved at them to go inside and they complied without question. No one was chasing them, but there was still a sense of urgency. Just as they entered the ship, the door closed. "Good timing," Mitsuki commented to the man and the woman.

"You got that right," Nikko said with a smile. Saimin handed the girl to Sarada. The Uchiha looked down at the girl. She wasn't terribly young, though she couldn't be more than fifteen. "Let's go." The group hurried through the main deck and to the rooms. Saimin took the girl from Sarada and went into their room.

"That went well," Mitsuki muttered with a shrug.

"Yeah. Seems a little odd that they would need us," Sarada said. "But it doesn't matter. We got a lot of money for this, didn't we?"

"Enough for at least a week of food and board," Mitsuki agreed. "Are you heading off to bed?"

"Nah," Sarada said. "We might as well earn our keep. I'll come get you a little after midnight. Tell Himawari good night for me."

Mitsuki smiled softly and went inside the room. Sarada sat outside the door of their employers with a kunai on her lap. People who walked by her eyed the weapon warily. Sarada blinked. Was it odd? In their world, weapons weren't usually a threat. If a shinobi guard had a weapon out, people would look at them with respect. These people, however, looked at her like she was a threat, not a worker. Sarada gripped her weapon nervously. They had only been in that world for a short time, but already she was looking at everyone as if they were an enemy.

 _No wonder the world falls into chaos so quickly,_ Sarada observed, _distrust and paranoia spreads faster than any illness._ She finally understood what her father had told her years ago. The mind was man's greatest enemy.

Sarada rested her head on the door behind her and closed her eyes. Though she would swear she hadn't fallen asleep, when her eyes opened again, the ship was in the air and she it was dark in the halls. "She's waking up, Nikko," the woman inside grumbled. Sarada looked around. No one was there watching her sleep.

"Well, that's not my area of expertise, Sai. You handle it."

Sarada heard Saimin groaned softly. She then heard a softer female voice from the room. The girl they were protecting. Sarada stood slowly, holding her weapon loosely in her hand. She leaned against the wall and sighed. They had told her that the girl would be kept under a genjutsu in order to assure that nothing happened, so Sarada wasn't suspicious. The door opened and Sarada flinched, but showed no other sign of surprise. "Oh?" Nikko asked. "You didn't go to bed?" Sarada shook her head. "Hey, Saimin! The Uchiha is up! Wanna show a real genjutsu master your jutsu?"

"Hm? N-no… That's okay," Sarada started, but she trailed off after a moment. It was obvious that Nikko wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sarada stepped inside. The young girl sat on the bed, holding her head in her hands as if she wasn't fully awake. While they weren't looking, Sarada activated her Sharingan. The girl's chakra had been sealed almost completely. It seemed odd to her that they would go through the trouble of sealing the child only to also put her under a genjutsu, though Sarada supposed it was more to keep the girl calm than anything else.

"Is your jutsu based on eyes?" Sarada asked as she stood behind Saimin. The woman shook her head. "Sound, then?" Sarada asked.

"In a way," Saimin answered. "Activate your Sharingan if you must." Sarada did as she was told. Genjutsu were odd things.

"What does it do?"

"You will see."

The woman sat beside the girl and placed a delicate hand on her shoulder. Sarada observed a small chakra exchange. Saimin hummed softly for a moment and the girl looked at her, confused. Saimin stood from the child and removed what looked like a pipe-flute from her bag. Once she began to play it, Sarada could see the sound waves that were laced with chakra. _So, it's similar to Tayuya,_ Sarada thought, thinking of Shikadia's favorite story with his parents. The girl settled herself onto the bed and fell into the genjutsu moments later. "Interesting," Sarada said with a smile. "I appreciate you showing me this."

"Of course," Saimin said quietly. "Now, you may go on to bed. There's no one following us anymore."

Just as the words finished leaving her mouth, the door swung open, revealing two ninja holding weapons that Sarada had never seen before. "Release her at once!"

Sarada jumped between the two ninja and her employers. The two men looked at the girl and shook their heads. "Move, child," the other one said. "This is not something you should be involved in."

"Sorry, but I got paid to do a job," Sarada snapped. She lunged at the two ninja, only to see that there were more behind them. She swung and pulled a lever. A loud siren blasted through their hallway. Mitsuki and Himawari were there in seconds, attacking the ninja that were in the hall. Sarada performed a scissor kick on the leader, throwing him to the ground.

"Stop!" the man snapped, but Sarada punched him. "You know not who you defend!" Sarada shook her head and hurled the man out of the room. He started running and she took off after him, racing towards him. "The child is in danger!"

"I know she is!" Sarada snapped. She tackled the man and activated her Sharingan.

"Please!" the man cried angrily. "You must listen to me! The child! She is precious to our country! She is a—"He cut off in his sentence as he finally made contact with the eyes. Sarada sighed and leaned back. It was a weak attack that meant nothing. This was simply a ragtag team of rebels it seemed. Sarada stood from the man and dragged his unconscious body back to the room. Mitsuki and Himawari had dispatched the other three men and were talking to a flight attendant who had come to answer the alarm. Sarada waved sheepishly at the angry patrons who had been awakened by the skirmish.

She sighed deeply and leaned against the wall. Mitsuki was taking the loud yelling of the flight attendant with grace. _Good thing it's not me,_ she thought. _Mitsuki handles angry people better than I do._ Himawari was standing sheepishly. Mitsuki had come to stand protectively between the angry flight attendant and the girl. Sarada sighed again. He was almost as much of an older brother as Boruto was sometimes. _He better watch out. I'd hate to be the guy that tried to date that girl._ She chuckled softly. _Between Boruto and Seventh-sama, the poor guy would be scared out of his wits._

She opened her eyes, but her smile faded suddenly. She caught a glimpse of the room as Saimin was shutting the door. Her stomach dropped. Everything the invader had told her suddenly made sense. Nikko was holding a glass in his hand and as she watched, the crystal frosted over.

* * *

Boruto was getting tired of being hurt by Zetsu and his little pet. The chakra blocks on him prevented him from doing anything about his situation. He was there now, alone with the tanned boy. Akuryo had seemed to finally tire himself out. He was sitting in a corner, staring at Boruto with his dark, sightless eyes. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"I've felt worse," Boruto said with a smile that the other could not see.

"I can make it hurt more if you want. Ever heard of a Cat of Nine-tails?"

"No but I've heard of a two-tailed cat and a nine-tailed fox."

A faint smile played on the corner of Akuryo's mouth at the joke. Boruto's eyes widened. He had actually gotten this little monster to smile! _Sort of,_ Boruto berated himself. It wasn't even a half smile. It was merely a faint grin.

"It's a type of whip," Akuryo continued, having not noticed Boruto's reaction.

 _Maybe he forgets sometimes that other people aren't blind,_ Boruto reasoned.

"That has nine heads at the end with glass and nails and wood woven in." Boruto shuddered. "It was a terrible device and I hated it… Feared it…"

Boruto blinked. _Even if he is this strange, recluse little demon… he's still just a child, I suppose._ Boruto sighed and bowed his head. His father would want him to try and find the good in people, but Boruto was never very good at that. In his world, he didn't have to face people like this child. They were soldiers, sure, but before coming to this world, he didn't know what it was like to put your life on the line. He had lived a soft life. Ansei had even mentioned to him that he wasn't prepared for battle.

"It really shreds your skin," Akuryo continued. "Like a thousand razor blades being ripped through your flesh. I have one, if you want to see it." He said is as if he were offering a friend a chance to look at toy. Boruto shook his head, uttering a soft negative reply as he did. Akuryo shrugged. "It's especially painful when they make you practically curl on your knees and your skin's already tight around your bones. It's like cutting through taut sheets. Every though the blade is thin, the tear gets bigger because the fabric is tight."

Boruto looked at the child and sighed. "I didn't know they had slaves," he admitted.

"It's not legal within the ninja nations," Akuryo muttered softly. "But it is in some island nations outside your jurisdiction."

"Oh." Boruto looked at the ground. He wondered if it was legal anywhere in his world. Surely his father wouldn't allow it. "What… what's it like?" he asked.

Akuryo turned his head to Boruto and eyed him. For a moment, Boruto almost believed that the boy could see him. "You don't want to know…" he muttered.

"Hey, it's not like we have anything better to do. Unless you just want to continue beating me," Boruto suggested. Akuryo turned away. "Fine, if you don't want to talk about it…"

"It's not that it's anything worth talking about," Akuryo admitted. He leaned against the wall and sighed. Boruto studied him for a long moment. His father had always told him that there were no truly evil people in the world.

Akuryo looked up sightlessly at the ceiling. "My masters weren't evil," he started.

 _Guess I get another life story,_ Boruto thought.

"Well, not all of them. My family has been owned by that family for generations. I didn't know there was a better life out there. I was born blind and enslaved. Our first master was kind enough, but he died when I was around three and his son took over the family. I was deemed unworthy by him and was sold to a group of traveling mercenaries."

"Sounds…" Boruto didn't know how to finish that sentence. Anything he would say would simply not be appropriate for this child's story.

"They fancied themselves samurai, and they did teach me a lot," Akuryo continued. "But… they also had me for whatever purposes they wanted. It was something I learned to endure, even though I resented them for it. It wasn't until they began beating me when I started fighting back that I realized the gravity of the situation… So I killed them."

Boruto blinked and looked at the boy. The way he said it was so casual, as if it meant nothing. "How old were you?"

"I was eleven. I had been with them for six years at that point."

"How many were there?"

"Twelve."

"And you killed them all?"

"I did." Akuryo nodded slowly. "And, for the first time in my life, I was free. Then, Zetsu found me."

"And then you decided to use your newfound freedom to serve someone else?" Boruto asked. "How is that any different?"

"Zetsu-sama is a god," Akuryo argued.

"He is a monster!"

"So is humanity! I feel like we've already had this conversation. You keep trying to change my mind, Boruto, but it won't happen!"

"Akuryo!" Both boys lifted their heads at the call. It wasn't Zetsu that was calling. It was a far more familiar voice.

"Ansei!" Boruto called, but his voice was cut off as Akuryo grabbed his throat.

It was too late, however. Footsteps echoed through stone hall and Boruto gasped when he saw his friend. Ansei had grown less pale in the time they were apart. He still wore all black, but he seemed more confident and he carried himself with more pride. _That would be great if_ this _wasn't what he was proud of…_ Boruto through.

Ansei gasped and threw the cell door open. "Boruto?! What is the meaning of this, Akuryo?!"

The blind child stared at Ansei. "Zetsu-sama brought him here," he said. He stood and started leaving. "He will hear about this. You aren't supposed to be down here."

"Neither are you, but I followed your rotten chakra."

Akuryo narrowed his eyes. Ansei turned and knelt before Boruto. "Are you okay?" he asked, but he shook his head. "No, of course you aren't! You are lucky you aren't missing a limb with that one!" Ansei took a long look at Boruto and smiled. "You were dead! How are you here?!"

"Well, you know… Death was too good for me."

Ansei hugged the other boy tightly, but not too tightly. "I can't believe you're here!"

Boruto smiled. "I can't believe it either," he said. "How have you been? What is all this?"

"Zetsu-sama is going to help me complete my dream! Children will never have to suffer like I did! Or like Akuryo did! We will create a perfect world, Boruto! It will be fantastic!"

"But is it right?" Boruto asked.

"Of course it is!"

"You're hunting Jinchuuriki!" Boruto snapped.

"It's for the good of the world!" Ansei argued. "It's for you… And people like us."

"Do you really think there's a version of this where you get out alive?" Boruto asked him.

Ansei bowed his head. "I know there's not," he muttered. "But I will at least leave this world a better place that how I found it." He brightened slightly. "Come on, let's get you out of these chains."

"Don't, pet." Both men stiffened. Zetsu stood behind them, watching their interaction.

Ansei stood. "How long has he been down here?"

"Not long," Zetsu assured his puppet. "I did not know he was alive before then."

"And this is how you treat him?!"

"I could not just let you know he was alive," Zetsu argued. "I did not know if you would abandon the mission if he was alive." Ansei didn't answer and that seemed to angry Zetsu. "You aren't abandoning our work… are you?"

Ansei looked away. Zetsu rushed at him and slammed him against the wall. "We have worked far too long for you to start second guessing this!" he growled. Ansei narrowed his eyes. "I will kill him, Ansei, here and now. I will let Akuryo's cursed chakra infect his body and you will stand here and watch as his flesh melts! Do _not_ tempt me, Ansei. If you want your little friend to continue living, then you will not even consider leaving."

Ansei looked at Boruto, who looked back at him. "Don't worry about me." But he knew that was asking too much. Ansei had spent the past six years regretting it… wishing Boruto was alive. He wouldn't let this newfound miracle go to waste.

Ansei turned to Zetsu. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said finally.

* * *

"Mitsuki!" Sarada called. She grabbed her teammate away from the group of people.

"What, Sarada?" Mitsuki asked. "Is something wrong?" Something was obviously wrong. He could see it. Sarada was completely distressed. "What happened? Are you hurt?" he asked, suddenly worried. He grabbed her arm.

"That girl… she's a Jinchuuriki…" Sarada whispered.

"What?"

"Those two are the Jinchuuriki hunters!"

Mitsuki blinked. "Are you sure?" he asked quickly, pulling her closer.

Sarada nodded. "The man… he used his chakra to cool his drink!"

"That doesn't automatically mean it's them…"

"He's an ice user!" Sarada gasped. "My dad fought an ice user! There aren't many! And those men we fought were trying to tell me that she was someone precious to their village! We just helped them kidnap a Jinchuuriki!"

Mitsuki stood there for a moment. He went over their options quickly. They could kill them... "No," he said quietly. "They will lead us to Boruto."

Sarada blinked. "What? No! We have to save that girl!"

"I know! But if we blow our cover now, we may never find Boruto! They will move if they know someone is on to them!"

Sarada looked at Mitsuki, shaking slightly. "What about Himawari?"

"We won't tell her." Sarada nodded slowly. "Don't worry, Sarada," he whispered. "We will fix this… I promise…"

 _Author's note: AH! Finally! I'm sorry this took so long! I've been really busy lately! I do have the rest of this story mapped out, though! We're getting to the end!_


	22. Home

_Chapter 22: Home_

Boruto flexed his cold fingers in an attempt to restart the flow that had been lost. Ansei had spent the better part of the day healing the wounds he had suffered at the hands of Zetsu and Akuryo and was resting. Releasing Boruto from his chains and halting the brutal torture had been the first order of business after Ansei discovered that his friend was alive. Boruto sat in the corner of his new room while Ansei moved about, finding blankets so that Boruto wouldn't be cold that night. It was amazing. The broken Hyuuga wasn't as broken anymore. _IT's like he's found his true purpose,_ Boruto thought. He was happy for his friend, but at the same time, he wished it was for something other than this mess.

"So, how did you find Zetsu?"

"He found me," Ansei muttered softly. "I know you don't agree with this, Boruto, but I'm trying to save the world, not end it."

Boruto sighed. "What's the plan, anyway?" he asked finally. Maybe they had a legitimate plan that wasn't bad after all.

Ansei looked at Boruto. "We're attempting to revive a god," he answered. "And then she will unite the nations of this world in peace!"

Boruto blinked. In theory, the plan wasn't bad, but if he had learned anything in history class, it was that the road to hell was always paved in good intentions. This was, most likely, no exception. "Look, Zetsu was in my world as well. He's not exactly a saint."

"I know," Ansei admitted. "At first I thought he was, but I realized quickly that he wasn't."

"Then why?" Boruto asked.

"Because he can give me what I want… Peace. Peace in our time! Can you imagine it?"

 _Yes,_ Boruto answered silently. _I live it every day._ He realized that he could not fully judge them. It may sound crazy to him that people would be willing to murder, but he grew up in a world of peace. The nations weren't at war with each other. His father was best friends with the Kazekage and Shikadai was the child of two people from different nations and both his parents held high ranks in their villages. _That can't happen in this world,_ Boruto thought sadly. _Children who are born in this world from opposing nations must pick a side… a parent..._

"It's a good goal," Boruto muttered. "But is it worth it?"

"Nine people," Ansei said softly. "All that have to die for this peace are nine people. Is it right of me? No, probably not… But I am one of those nine people, and I am willing to die. I will not see the peace this will create, but I am willing to die for it! Does that not make all this worth it, Boruto?"

Boruto closed his eyes. It all seemed fine, but in reality, he wasn't sure what to make of any of this. "I don't know, Ansei," he admitted. "I really don't…" He had come to this world to save Ansei, but it was becoming increasingly clearer that Ansei didn't _want_ to be saved. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not sure about anything," Ansei whispered, staring down at his hands as if they held the answer. Boruto could see that his presence alone was enough to begin the conflict. He could see that good things did happen in this screwed up world. _But he can't go back, can he?_ Boruto asked silently. _He's a criminal. He will spend the rest of his life in jail… Or be sentenced to death._

Boruto stood up and walked to stand in front of the Hyuuga. "Ansei..." The boy looked up. "We have to leave." He pulled out the metal Sharingan. Ansei had worked to get Boruto's stuff back, including the device. "I can take you where you won't be persecuted anymore. You'll be safe."

"Will this world be safe?" Ansei asked quietly.

"The world will fix itself!" Boruto snapped. He was terribly naive.

"The world needs this! The people need this, Boruto! Why can't you see that?!"

"Because it's wrong!" Boruto snapped. "You can't fix the world like this, Ansei!"

"So you just want me to give up?" Ansei growled. "You want me to run away?! Even if it doesn't work, I can't run from what I've done here! Don't you understand?! I have to see this to the end, Boruto! I can't leave now! Not when we're this close! The final pieces of the puzzle are on their way, and then the world will finally be at peace and I can die happy knowing that I created a better future!"

Boruto studied his friend for a long moment. Saving Ansei was going to be difficult. He pocketed the metal Sharingan. _Maybe I can't save you,_ Boruto thought sadly. _But I'm going to have to stop you…_

* * *

After saying goodbye to their employers and collecting the cash, Mitsuki and his team were trailing them. They were about half a mile behind the two ninja. "Why are we trailing them?" Himawari asked. Mitsuki turned to her. He was asking strange. _They both are,_ Himawari thought.

"We think they might take us to where Boruto is," Mitsuki answered curtly.

"Why don't we just ask them?" Hima asked.

Mitsuki sighed deeply. "That won't work," he said quietly. "Now, I need you to be quiet."

Himawari pouted and crossed her arms. She didn't like how quiet they were being and how serious this whole thing had become. She wanted to shout at them, but instead, she stayed quiet. Sarada hadn't released her Sharingan since they left their employers. She was periodically activating her Byakugan in hopes to figure out why this situation had suddenly become so dire. She hated being in the dark about these things. _They treat me like I'm a child,_ she thought angrily. _I'm just as much as a ninja as they are! Heck, I beat dad! Even Boruto can't beat dad!_ Boruto often liked to point out to his sister that it had been a cheap shot and their father didn't have any guards up, but she didn't care. She still beat her father. Though, she had felt terrible once she realized exactly what she had done, but Naruto hadn't seemed too upset. If anything, he laughed about it and they moved on. Kakashi, Iruka, Konohamaru and Sakura had given him a small party the next day to make up for it. _I think mom was more upset about it than dad was,_ Himawari reflected with a smile on her face.

Eventually they came across an entrance way that led underground. "This is where they went," Sarada said to Mitsuki, who nodded slowly.

Himawari's eyes widened. "Boruto!" she gasped. She could feel his chakra in the tunnels below. "Boruto's in there!"

Mitsuki smiled. "Good. That's what we were hoping for. Let's go get him and get out of here."

"What about the girl?" Sarada asked. Himawari looked between them.

"We save our own first," Mitsuki grumbled.

Sarada narrowed her eyes, but didn't fight. The trio made their way into the base and towards Boruto's chakra. Himawari stopped them when they made it to a room and placed her ear to the door. She smiled and flung the door open before Mitsuki and Sarada could stop her.

Boruto turned towards the open door. Luckily, he was alone in the room. Himawari's smile widened and she ran towards her brother, embracing him tightly. "What are you three doing here?" Boruto asked. Before anyone could answer, Himawari punched her brother hard in the stomach. "Wh-what was that for?!" Boruto gasped as he doubled over, holding his stomach.

"That's for leaving us behind!" Himawari snapped. She then hugged her brother as she fought tears. "D-don't ever do that to me again," she whimpered.

Boruto smiled softly and hugged his sister gently. "I won't," he promised. "But I'm not done here."

"What?" Sarada snapped.

"Ansei is convinced that he is doing the right thing." Boruto pulled out the metal Sharingan. "You three go home. I'll be there shortly."

"We aren't leaving you," Sarada snapped.

"Zetsu needs one of you three to complete his plan! We'll end this here and now if you just go home!"

"How do you know it isn't you?" Sarada challenged.

"If it was, I'd be dead," Boruto answered. "Please, take my sister home."

"I'm not leaving without you!" Himawari growled.

"You aren't safe here!"

"Neither are you!" Himawari retorted.

Boruto looked between his teammates. "Please. This is something I have to do."

"We will bring Ansei back with us." Mitsuki said quietly. "Let's get him and then we can all go back together."

Boruto seemed to agree to the idea and the group moved into the hallway to find the Hyuuga and leave.

* * *

Zetsu sighed deeply as he greeted Nikko and Saimin. "They followed us here, as you predicted, Zetsu-sama," Nikko said with a shrug. Zetsu took the Jinchuuriki from the ice –user's arms.

"Of course they did. Humans are dreadfully predictable creatures." He handed Nikko a pouch full of coins and bills. The man took it happily.

"What are we going to do about them?" Akuryo asked quietly. Zetsu turned to his demon and shook his head.

"We let them leave," he said.

Akuryo narrowed his eyes. "But the condition has been met, and Ansei has the final piece of the puzzle in him! Why would we let them leave?!"

Zetsu held up his hand. "Patience, child," he said. "I do not want a fight breaking out inside the base. We will let them get a kilometer away before we go after them."

"Is that really such a good idea?" Nikko asked. "Those kids are resourceful."

Zetsu looked at his gathered group. A rare survivor of the Yuki Clan, a bitter slave that killed everything he touched and a genjutsu master. It was a pathetic fighting force. "Fine. Do not let them out of this base. Separate them." Zetsu looked at Akuryo. "The blue-haired girl is all I need. Kill the rest of them."

Akuryo pulled off his long gloves and his exposed palms began secreting a black smoke. "With pleasure, my lord."

"Good. Do not make any mistakes. We are so close and I will not have any more setbacks." The three nodded and took off. Zetsu looked down at the Jinchuuriki in his arms and smiled softly, stroking her hair as gently as a father would his own child. "Almost, mother," he whispered. "Almost."

* * *

Boruto opened the door to Ansei's room. "We're leaving." He said.

Ansei lifted his gaze from the shoji board on his bed. "Boruto? Sarada? How have you been?"

"Could be worse," Sarada greeted. "You?" Ansei shrugged.

"That's enough. We have to leave," Boruto said quickly. He pulled out the metal Sharingan. He wasn't taking any chances. They would leave then and there and then deal with Ansei's anger once they were back in a world that made sense.

However, before he could open the portal, a senbon made of ice impaled Boruto's arm just beneath his wrist between two bones. Boruto shouted and the device fell to the ground. Nikko was fast to pick it up. "Hm… Isn't this an interesting little thing," he said with a smile.

Boruto was afraid to act like it was something they need or the man would crush it and they would be stuck in this world forever. "What's the meaning of this?" Ansei asked calmly as he healed Boruto's injury. Mitsuki narrowed his eyes. Boruto knew little about ice-users, but he knew his dad had fought one and apparently that one was fast. Mitsuki was most likely annoyed that they had been able to sneak up on them.

 _They're good. I didn't even feel his chakra._

"Zetsu didn't exactly permit your visitors, Ansei," Nikko said. He pocketed the device and Boruto mentally cursed.

"Zetsu doesn't control me," Ansei retorted.

"Even so, we don't like it when you bring guests without clearing it with us first."

"It won't happen again," Ansei snapped. "Get out of my room, Nikko."

"Can't," the young man teased. He moved closer to the group. Boruto followed him like a hawk followed a mouse. He was heading for Himawari.

"Don't touch her," Boruto growled.

"Oh. We've got a mother hen here, don't we?" Boruto narrowed his eyes. Sarada was already stepping in front of Himawari and Mitsuki had a weapon ready. Nikko clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Ansei. This is _your_ stupid mission. Are you going to let them trip us up at the finish line?" Ansei bowed his head.

"Ansei?" Boruto asked quietly. He didn't want to confuse the poor boy, but a choice had to be made. Ansei lifted his gaze and his Byakugan flashed…

And all hell broke loose.

Nikko lunged at Mitsuki and Sarada, both of which were quick to counter. Boruto ran at Nikko, but was stopped by a kick to the face from Saimin. Ansei stood back, unsure of who to help. "Ansei!" Boruto screamed, taking his eyes off the fight for one second. Himawari screamed and Boruto spun around. Akuryo had her now, gripping her jacket. Boruto shook his head and ran after the slave and his sister. Mitsuki and Sarada could handle the ice user and the woman.

Boruto lunged in front of Akuryo. "Release her!" he snarled angrily.

The tanned child smirked and held Himawari's arm, but his flesh didn't touch hers. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked. He reached to touch the girl's face.

"Don't touch her!" Boruto screamed.

Himawari narrowed her eyes at her brother. "My lord needs this girl to complete his plans. I wouldn't want her so much if he did not need her. Consider yourself lucky. If he didn't need your sister alive, she'd already be dead."

Boruto lunged at the boy, but Himawari kicked out at her brother, throwing him back. "What are you doing?!" Boruto snapped.

"You don't know how to fight him!" Himawari retorted.

"What are you talking about?"

"If he touches you-"

"That's enough out of you!" Wooden planks wrapped around the girl, covering her mouth. "You did well, Akuryo. Now, finish the deed." Himawari struggled against her wooden restraints, but to no avail. Boruto glared at Akuryo. He flexed his fingers.

"I've been waiting for this," he growled. He lunged at the boy, who side-stepped him easily. Boruto dodged an attack that would have hit him at the base of his neck and rolled before sweeping Akuryo's feet. The boy jumped into the air. Boruto spun and kicked off the wall. They were in a long, thin hallway. He tacked Akuryo and rolled away. Himawari wanted to tell him about touching the boy, so he decided to avoid that for the time being.

Akuryo smirked and rolled with the tackle, kicking out at Boruto before he realized the boy had already pulled out. The blind boy backed away several meters and flexed his glowing hands. Boruto ran at the boy, but before he could attack, Akuryo jumped from wall to wall, getting higher leverage before he performed a powerful round kick, sending Boruto flying back. Boruto hit the ground and rolled with the attack. He stopped his retreat and created two shadow clones. Anything more would be pointless in such a tight space.

Boruto noted that Zetsu didn't bother calling out what he was doing. _He must either have a lot of faith in Akuryo, or no faith in me…_ The three moved in perfect sync to confuse Akuryo's senses as Boruto ran for him. He created a Rasengan and threw it. Making it vanish would mean nothing while facing a blind opponent. Akuryo dodged the Rasengan as Boruto predicted he would, but the small space only gave the child a small amount of options for dodging, and all three retreats were blocked by a shadow clone. Akuryo didn't have time to react. When he realized his mistake, he was sent flying, his head slamming against the stone wall.

Zetsu still did no moved to help his pet. Boruto didn't want to lose his advantage. His clones attacked Akuryo with vigor while Boruto stood back. _He's only using Taijutsu to protect himself,_ Boruto noted. The boy had not used a single jutsu since the fight had begun, which was odd, considering Akuryo was not particularly talented in Taijutsu. He was quick and light on his feet, but he was no Metal Lee.

Zetsu seemed rather content with watching Akuryo get beaten by Boruto. The man hadn't even left with Himawari, who was watching the fight with wide eyes. "You seem to have faith in him," Boruto muttered.

"If he fails, he is of no use to me," Zetsu replied. This seemed to give Akuryo the vigor he needed. He kicked away the Shadow Clones, causing them to vanish in a puff of smoke, before he lunged at Boruto, who threw his arms up in an X to protect his head and chest; but that was just the mistake Akuryo was waiting for Boruto to make.

Akuryo grabbed Boruto's wrist tightly. Suddenly pain exploded from the contact site. Boruto struggled against the grip, but his vision was turning red with pain. It felt like he was dying.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Zetsu asked calmly. Boruto hardly heard him over his own screams. He looked at his arm and already the flesh around Akuryo's fingers was turning black with decay. "I told you, this is an interesting beast. Can you imagine the pain he has lived through…? To kill everything he touches?" Boruto wasn't listening, he was too busy trying to pull his hand out of Akuryo's grip, but the boy's hand was like the jaws of a pit bull; once it locked, it wasn't opening.

Boruto kicked at Akuryo, but the boy took the attacks without a sound, leaving Boruto to struggle in vain. Akuryo reached for Boruto's face to start the process there as well, but Boruto punched Akuryo square in the nose. That didn't make him let go, but it stopped him for a moment. Boruto reached into his weapon's pouch that Ansei had returned earlier and pulled out a kunai before stabbing violently at Akuryo's arm. That had the desired effect.

Akuryo released Boruto, cradling his bleeding hand. Boruto looked down at his own arm and gasped. Where his flesh had connected with Akuryo's, it was black and oozed. A disgusting scent came from the wound. Boruto shook his head and ignored the pain as he turned to Zetsu and Akuryo. "Give me my sister back," he growled.

"I don't exactly _need_ her alive," Zetsu teased with a smirk. "I only need her DNA. I can get that from the stain she'd leave on the wall." The wood tightened around Himawari. She screamed and struggled against her restraints.

"Stop!" Boruto shouted. The wood tightened. "Leave her alone!" Boruto ran at Zetsu. He jumped in the air as if he were about to attack, but instead of kicking, he vanished. Zetsu was taken off guard. People in rage usually didn't have enough sense left to formulate plans. Zetsu spun behind him, which was the obvious way for Boruto to go, but the boy wasn't there. Instead he felt Boruto's chakra in front of him again. Zetsu kicked the child, throwing him back against the wall.

"I expected more," he teased, but the words barely had time to leave his mouth before an invisible force. The Rasengan struck him square in the chest, throwing him back with a surprised shout. Boruto smirked.

"I've always got more," he growled. The pain in his arm throbbed, but he continued to ignore it. Zetsu smiled and wiped his mouth, even though he had no blood. A massive hole had been created, nearly ripping his arm from the rest of his body.

"An interesting ability," Zetsu said. Boruto's eyes widened as the hole morphed and began mending itself. "I never thought a mere Rasengan thrown by a talentless Hyuuga would be the first attack to cause any _real_ damage. You are a clever little devil, aren't you?" He lifted his hand towards Himawari. Boruto's eyes widened and he ran towards Zetsu.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he tried to attack. Himawari's screams echoed through the halls as the wooden planks wrapped around her body tightly. Boruto jumped into the air, but instead of lunging at Zetsu, he kicked off the wall and towards Himawari. A Rasengan formed in his hand. He didn't want to attack his sister, but attack Zetsu would be pointless. Just before he slammed the jutsu into the wood, a crack echoed in his ears. Before there was a loud blast as the Rasengan hit the wood, there was a moment of deafening silence.

Boruto was throw back from the attack and Himawari crumbled onto the ground. Boruto watched her fall with eyes wide.

"I told you I didn't need her alive," Zetsu said.

Boruto watched the creature walk to his sister in a dumbfounded state, unable to move… Until something inside the boy snapped. He let loose a howl that would give Naruto's tailed forms a shiver up their spine as he lunged at Zetsu. There was nothing in his attacks that made them clever; just pure rage. He grabbed Zetsu's back, clinging to him, and brought his kunai down on the man several times in an attempt to kill it. The fact that his stabs didn't seem to bother Zetsu only fueled Boruto's rage.

He hadn't even realized that he was now seeing the chakra networks of his opponent.

A sharp pain made Boruto stop his assault. Akuryo threw him forcefully against the wall. Boruto's head slammed onto the stone and he fell to the ground, panting. His head felt like it was going to explode and his eyes burned. Zetsu stood over the boy, staring down at him. "Interesting," he observed. "I've not seen that before." Boruto didn't know what he was talking about and he was too dazed to care. "Pity." Zetsu kicked Boruto in the stomach. He grabbed the impact spot, gasping for air. "I'd like to study this more, but I haven't the time." He turned and started walking away with Himawari in his arms. Boruto hardly noticed the glimpse of life left in his sister's body.

He reached for Zetsu and then looked at his arm, blinking in confusion. He could see inside it and to the chakra network as it died from Akuryo's death grip. There was no longer the shape of a hand on his arm. The spot had spread and it would continue spreading.

Boruto looked at Akuryo as the boy lifted a weapon to finish the deed. He never got the chance. Mitsuki wrapped a clothed arm around Akuryo's neck and then slammed him onto the ground where he went limp. Sarada and Mitsuki were at Boruto's side in a heartbeat. Boruto didn't hear them as Mitsuki addressed his wounds. "It's not life threatening," Boruto groaned. Sure, he had a headache, but he had survived worse. His vision was disorienting him, which made the headache worse.

Mitsuki lifted Boruto into his arms and started for the exit. "No!" Boruto snapped, suddenly clear. "We can't leave Himawari!"

"We have to stop that infection from spreading!" Mitsuki snapped.

"Well, then heal it!" Boruto growled, "And then let me get back on the battlefield!"

Mitsuki turned to Sarada then cursed. "You go get Himawari! I'll deal with him!"

Sarada looked at the blue-haired boy. "What are you going to do…?" she asked cautiously.

"I have to stop the spread of the infection," Mitsuki muttered. Sarada looked at her own leg where Mitsuki had cut away the infected tissue.

"You aren't-?"

"I will do what has to be done," Mitsuki answered evenly.

"Let me go get my sister!" Boruto screamed angrily, fighting against Mitsuki. The medic turned and ran towards the exit and Sarada ran back into the base.

* * *

Ansei watched the exchange between them silently. "You made the right choice…" Nikko muttered. He held up the metal Sharingan. "So… I wonder what this thing is for anyway…"

 _Author's note: Well that went MUCH better than last week, methinks! You think? Umm… I should probably put a warning here. Next chapter won't be pretty… (And will be a reason why this story might should be rated M. I'll keep it not very graphic)_

 _Also, also! Before_ anyone _gives me grief, Boruto didn't activate the Byakugan during his nearly fatal fight with Ansei because he didn't want to hurt Ansei. Boruto wanted to kill Zetsu, and seeing his sister "die" in front of him would be a much worse experience. As we're not entirely sure why or when the Byakugan is awakened in half-breeds (Hima's was awakened by anger, because Boruto broke her teddy bear.) I would imagine that Boruto's a late bloomer because it took his Byakugan longer to mature because it's more powerful… Or, basically, I took liberties. Hope ya'll don't mind!_


	23. Loss

_Author's Note: Content warning for this chapter. It's not too graphic, but it might be a little disturbing._

 _Chapter Twenty-Three: Loss_

Mitsuki hated leaving Sarada behind, but he knew Boruto wouldn't shut up unless someone was going after his sister. He wanted to tell Boruto that this was his fault. If they had merely stuck together, they would have been fine, but he had to go and play hero. Anger rose in him, but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't even sure why he was so angry. That wasn't like him. He was usually calm about things like this, but he felt a sort of rage boil inside him as if he had been the one injured. _If this is my anger, I can only imagine Boruto's feelings now,_ Mitsuki thought.

He ran faster. The closest town was the one they had left, and that was nearly a day away, less if Mitsuki kept this ace until they got there. He looked down at Boruto's arm. The decay was spreading. With a curse, he changed directions. They wouldn't make it to the town before the infection got into Boruto's blood stream.

He felt chakra not far away on a road and headed towards it. Field medicine was something he excelled at, but that didn't mean he was prepared for the procedure he had to do. It was a gamble heading towards the cluster of people on the road, but he didn't care. "Where are we going?" Boruto asked.

"Hush, I'm thinking," Mitsuki hissed. He ran towards the people and sighed. His gamble had paid off. It was a caravan, but it wasn't without its own guards. Mitsuki stopped in front of the wagon. A paid ninja stepped forward.

"Move."

"I need Sake," Mitsuki said simply.

"What?" Boruto asked, giving words to the silent question the other ninja was asking.

"I need Sake," Mitsuki repeated. "I can pay you."

"What for?" the ninja asked cautiously.

"What's the hold up!" someone shouted from inside the second wagon.

"Just some travelers," the ninja called back. "Why do you need sake?"

Mitsuki seemed to be worried for a moment, then he looked away. "My friend here is very injured. I need Sake in order to treat him," he muttered.

"Are you crazy?" Boruto snapped. Mitsuki glared at him. If Sarada were here, she'd understand what he was doing.

The ninja eyed them for a moment. "Do you need bandages as well?"

"And a blanket, if you've got one," Mitsuki added. The ninja grunted and went back into the back. He heard arguing for a moment and then the ninja reappeared with another young girl beside him. He handed the girl the requested supplies.

"The nearest town isn't far," the ninja commented. "Does it have to be done here?"

Mitsuki uncovered Boruto's arm and the two people in front of them gasped. The girl covered her mouth in shock. "He won't make it to the nearest town."

"I feel fine!" Boruto snapped.

"Would you just shut up for once?!" Mitsuki growled. Boruto blinked at the outburst. Mitsuki wasn't one to lose his cool.

"I just-"

"No, you don't!" Mitsuki snapped. "That infection will spread! If it gets into your blood stream, you _will die!_ I know you don't care about your life, but some of us do! So just let me do my job!" Boruto paled slightly. Mitsuki had scared him. _Good,_ Mitsuki thought. He turned to address the two ninja. "I can't let him go into sepsis. I have to remove the infected tissue."

"Is the Sake for you, or for him?" the man asked. Mitsuki didn't find this particularly funny. He turned to address his companion. "Stay with them." The girl nodded. "She is a nurse," the ninja explained, "She will help you." The girl bowed and the three moved out of the road so the caravan could move on. Mitsuki walked into the surrounded woods until they found themselves in a clearing next to a small brook. He placed Boruto down and removed his shirt, ignoring his questions as he cryptically and silently prepared the operation.

"Would it not be better to knock him out?" the girl asked finally.

"I need him awake. Anything genjutsu I cast on him will be broken by the pain, and knocking him out could cause head injuries I don't need to deal with."

"There are other ways to knock him out," the girl suggested.

"I know," Mitsuki muttered. He opened the Sake bottle.

"What are you doing?" Boruto asked. Mitsuki didn't answer as he pulled out a scalpel. The girl performed a fire jutsu to sanitize the blade. "Mitsuki!" He was ignored. "What is going on?!"

"Drink." Mitsuki handed the bottle of sake to Boruto.

"I don't want it!"

"Drink it!"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm saving your life!" Mitsuki snapped.

"I'm fine!" Boruto retorted.

"You won't be, that's the problem!" Mitsuki explained. "The limb is dying. Some parts are already dead! Dead flesh isn't good for living flesh and if the bacteria gets into your blood stream, you will get an infection that we won't be able to cure, and you will die, and it won't be a fast death, either!"

"Can't you heal it?!" Boruto asked, panic rising in his voice.

"I can't reanimate dead flesh!" Mitsuki snapped.

"Then take me to someone who can!"

"Just drink the sake!" Mitsuki shouted. "Or so help me, I will force it down your throat!"

Boruto took the bottle and downed a large gulp. Mitsuki didn't seem satisfied, so he downed another gulp. Mitsuki shoved him to the ground after taking the bottle. He placed the limb on the blanket and took some bandages and wrapped it around Boruto's arm, just below the elbow. Luckily, the decay hadn't spread more than a few inches in either direction from the contact site, which was the wrist.

"I need a stick," Mitsuki muttered. The girl handed him the desired item and he twisted the knot, effectively creating a tourniquet to reduce blood loss. Boruto squirmed in pain, but already the alcohol was numbing his senses. Boruto wasn't used to drinking alcohol, so his body wasn't sure what to make of the sudden rush of sake in his system.

He picked up the scalpel from the fire and lifted it. His hand was shaking. _I've done surgeries before,_ he told himself. _Why do I feel so scared now? This is routine. I probably won't even have to take the limb. He may lost some function, but it won't be a full amputation. It shouldn't be. Why am I scared?_ He didn't understand it. He knew all the steps. He had performed amputations at the hospital, and had seen Kabuto perform other surgeries. He knew all the facts.

He had studied all the books…

But Boruto wasn't a text book.

"It's spreading," the girl whispered. Mitsuki turned to her. He didn't know this person, and she didn't know him. They hadn't even introduced themselves. He took a deep breath to steady his hand and scored the flesh half an inch below the contact site, slicing into healthy tissue. Bright blood oozed from the mark and Mitsuki dipped his fingers into the blood. He began drawing seals on the healthy flesh to limit the damage. "I need a steady stream of chakra on that. We want to stop the infection. " Mitsuki explained. If he could halt the process, then he could minimize the damage.

"D-don't… take the hand…" Boruto groaned softly.

Mitsuki turned to him and frowned. He made no promise. He turned back to the limb as the girl moved to pump chakra into the seals. Mitsuki took a deep breath and dug deeper. He ignored Boruto as he groaned in pain. _It'll only get worse,_ he thought. _The best thing for you is to pass out as soon as possible._ He carefully peeled away the top layer of skin. The smell was overwhelming, but he shook his head and continued, working carefully around the still living tissue.

The pattern of the jutsu was odd. It didn't just kill living tissue as he had first believed. The chakra infiltrated blood vessels and cut off the circulation, killing the flesh. _What a terrible ability,_ Mitsuki thought. But something bothered him. It wasn't a jutsu, but the boy's actual chakra. It was tainted, like a mutation. Mitsuki had only encountered one person at Kabuto's orphanage that had mutated chakra. The child had died. Her chakra ended up destroying her, but Akuryo was relatively normal. _There must be side effects to this. It has to bite back._

Boruto let out a loud scream and Mitsuki jumped. The silence had been broken. He turned to his friend and noticed that Boruto's face was soaked with tears. He had felt it all. Mitsuki turned to the arm as it lay flayed on the bloodied sheet. He was still reluctant to flat out knock the other boy out. "Boruto, I need you to calm down," Mitsuki said, but Boruto wasn't calming down. If anything, he was becoming more agitated. The boy started wiggling. "Boruto, stop it! You'll mess up what I've already accomplished!" Suddenly everything went from his mind. Every ounce of training he had been through; how to deal with a scared patient, how to deal with one that was in pain… It all left his memory and he was left clenching the scalpel in his shaking hands as Boruto cried out in confusion and pain.

The girl turned between Mitsuki and Boruto before moving to Boruto's side. She stroked Boruto's blonde hair in an attempt to calm him. Mitsuki noticed that she was using a jutsu he had never seen before to calm Boruto's nerves even as she talked to him quietly and calmly. "Keep going. He'll sleep for a while longer," she whispered.

Mitsuki nodded and turned back to the limb. He worked around still living nerves and pulled away dead muscle from the living tissue. It was a long process. Many places he went straight to the bone, but he was determined for Boruto not to lose the hand completely, though it was possible that he would never regain full function in it.

Mitsuki wasn't even sure how long the surgery had been going on, but by the time he pulled away from the arm, it looked like Boruto had put his hand in a meat grinder. Mitsuki shook his head and looked over his work silently. He had removed all the dead tissue and then some to avoid the infection starting again. Closing would be more difficult. Boruto needed skin grafts in order to make the healing process easier, but Mitsuki wasn't equipped for that. Right now, he had done all he could in the field. He put his scalpel in the fire and let it get hot before he start cauterizing the exposed blood vessels. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose and he hissed at it.

Once he was sure the wound would not cause Boruto to bleed out, he put the gauze on the exposed flesh. He didn't want to close the skin before he could do it properly. He just wanted to make sure Boruto survived the journey to the town. Once he had tightly wrapped the destroyed limb tightly in bandages, he loosened the tourniquet, but didn't completely release it. He just wanted to make sure the limb was getting some blood flow.

In silence, he and the girl lifted Boruto on the sheet and they walked without speaking to the town. It was a long walk. Mitsuki learned that her name was Hanna, and she was a nurse for a wealthy man and his children. Mitsuki didn't offer he true life story, as he was sure she wouldn't believe him, but he told her small details about himself. She mentioned time and time again how brave he was, but Mitsuki didn't feel brave. He felt like a failure. Even with everything he had done, the doctors still might agree that Boruto needed to lose the limb. He wasn't sure he had done him any favors by leaving him a hand that he would never be able to use.

Once they made it to hospital, Boruto was handed off to the doctors and they wheeled him away. Mitsuki paced the waiting room. Hanna had left to find her party and he doubted he would ever see her again, though he was eternally grateful for what she had done for his friend. The doctors came to tell him that Boruto would be fine, and the hand had been saved, though he would have to undergo therapy to regain use of it. Mitsuki was led to Boruto's room and given a cot.

It was only when he was finally able to calm down and rest did the nausea rise up. Mitsuki ran into the bathroom in the hospital room and hugged the toilet bowl before his stomach forcefully emptied its contents.

* * *

Ansei sat on the floor with the metal Sharingan between his fingers. Boruto had it and had said it could be used to take them somewhere where Ansei wouldn't be persecuted anymore. He didn't believe a place like that existed. It couldn't, and if it did, what did a metal Sharingan have to do with it? He pocketed the device and sat up in his bed, feeling the presence before she spoke.

"You're an idiot," Sarada growled.

"Zetsu knows you're here," Ansei muttered softly.

"I'm sure he does, but he's a little too busy with my best friend's sister! Now, get up and help me!"

Ansei stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. "What's the point?" he asked. "It's almost over."

Sarada narrowed her eyes at him. "So you're giving up?" she snapped.

"That line would work if I was trying to stop this… but I think you've forgotten that this is my plan."

Sarada stepped forward. "I don't know what Boruto sees in you and why he'd risk all our lives to save you, but you mean something to him, and I'll be darned if I let this stupid mission fail because you're an idiot!"

Ansei shook his head. "He shouldn't care about me."

"No, he shouldn't, and only heaven knows why he does! All I know if that you are his friend and he doesn't want you to do this!"

"So what?" Ansei snapped. He didn't dodge her fist as it came flying at him.

"He's risking his life for you!"

"That's his problem, not mine!"

Sarada grabbed the boy's shirt and glared at him, shaking in anger. Ansei stayed passive as he watched her. Did it all really mean that much to them? "Don't let Himawari die for this!" she snapped. "Boruto said you wanted to save children! How can you save them if you're willing to sacrifice them?!"

Ansei averted his gaze. He remembered then that small boy that he had sacrificed for their cause. The child was innocent. He didn't deserve to die like that. Ansei bit his lip. _Don't listen to her,_ a voice hissed in his head. Ansei pulled away from Sarada and looked at her. _She's just trying to confuse you._

"Ansei, please," Sarada growled. "She's just a child!"

"Zetsu doesn't need her dead."

"But why would he release a potential enemy?!" Sarada snapped.

 _Tell her to shut up!_

"It makes sense…"

 _Don't give this away now!_

He pulled out the metal Sharingan. _Everything I'm doing… is for him; in_ his _memory. But he's not dead._

 _This is ridiculous!_

"Ansei?" Sarada asked.

 _He's not dead,_ Ansei repeated silently.

 _We can remedy that!_

 _My whole life I've been doing the bidding of others… Even this mission is just Zetsu. He needs me, just like the Hyuuga needed me._

 _You can't give up everything we've worked for now!_

Ansei looked at Sarada, who was watching him with a confused expression on her face. "Boruto was the first person to show me any true kindness," he said, speaking both to Sarada and the voice in his head. "When he died, that tiny glimmer of hope he had ignited within me was snuffed out with his life… A life I had taken." He looked down at the device. Sarada tensed. "I've spent these years trying to atone for my sins and somehow wipe what I'd done from my slate. I thought that if I could just make the world better, I could finally be at peace myself."

"The peace is false," Sarada said carefully. She held her hand out. "Give me the device."

"What is it?" Ansei asked.

"It's something very important to this mission and I need it back."

Ansei reached forward, but instead of giving her the device, he pulled her towards him and held a knife to her throat. He was shaking, but the hand that held the knife was steady. "You let your guard down."

"Ansei, please!" Sarada said calmly. "I know you don't want to do this."

"You don't know me!" Ansei snapped angrily. She met his gaze, but didn't activate her Sharingan. Calm, steady eyes met panicked, confused ones.

"No, I don't," she admitted. "I don't know you. I don't know what all you're capable of, but I do know that you killed my best friend. I know that you've murdered in cold blood; that you're attempting to end the world for one reason or another." Ansei narrowed his eyes.

 _See? She knows that you're a monster! Kill her, Ansei!_

"And Boruto knows all that too…"

 _Do it!_

"But despite all that, we're still here. _He's_ still here."

The knife fell to the stone floor with a loud crash. Ansei stumbled back.

 _What are you doing?!_

Ansei stared at the ground, his eyes wide. One thing echoed in his head as he did. Boruto had promised him something incredible. He looked at Sarada and gently placed the device in her outstretched hand. She took it swiftly. "I want to be happy," he muttered. "But, more importantly, I want him to be happy." Sarada smiled softly. "I want to stop this mess before it all ends. No one else has to die. Let's go."

 _You fool! You're throwing away everything!_

 _No… For the first time in my life, I want something._

 _You are just listening to Boruto's ideals!_

Ansei ignored the voice and started for the room where he knew Zetsu was. He opened the door as Sarada stood behind him. Zetsu was standing over Himawari. She was strapped to the table, which allowed Ansei and Sarada to breathe a sigh of relief. If she was strapped down, that meant she wasn't dead.

Zetsu bowed his head. "Ansei… I knew this day would come."

"I'm sorry," Ansei whispered.

"It doesn't matter. We're finished here anyway." He turned and wood sprang towards them. Sarada dodged and Ansei moved away. He turned to Sarada as she lunged at Zetsu, but he was quick to react. Before anyone could land a blow, the temperature in the room dropped drastically. Ansei spun and glared at Nikko.

"Sorry, kid, but I won't get my money if this mission fails," he said with a shrug. Ansei lunged at the ice user, dodging his attacks. He never liked Nikko, but he had always respected the man for what he was; the child of a rogue ninja who was trying to make a less than honest living for all the right reasons. He kicked off the wall and tackled Nikko to the ground. They both rolled with the attack and Nikko kicked Ansei into the wall. He gasped.

"Enough, Nikko," Zetsu snapped. Sarada was held against the wall in restraints. He looked at Ansei with his dead eyes as he walked towards the Hyuuga. "You're lucky I need you alive, child." He stepped on Ansei's arm. "But I don't need you whole!" A wooden plank came down and crushed Ansei's hand. He screamed in pain and his vision swam. "Now, about your little friend." Ansei narrowed his eyes. He could see Zetsu's chakra molding. He looked at his destroyed hand as it twitched. He jumped at Zetsu, slamming his open palm onto the back of Zetsu's neck. The creature stumbled forward and his jutsu dispersed. Sarada dropped to the ground.

"Go!" Ansei snapped. Sarada looked at him and blinked. She took a moment to comprehend the situation before she fled from the base. Nikko went to go after her.

"Let the insect go!" Zetsu growled as he lifted Ansei from the ground by his broken hand. "I have all I need here. They won't be able to stop it." He squeeze the limb and Ansei howled in pain, feeling the crushed bones rubbing together. Ansei stared at him and, for a moment, he thought he saw regret in the dead, yellow eyes. "You brought this upon yourself…" Ansei didn't feel the impact on the stone floor that ended the pain.

* * *

Sarada didn't stop running. She was convinced that she would be followed by someone in that base, but there was no one. Her footsteps never slowed, however. She held the metal Sharingan in her hand as she ran. They could go home and get back up! They could get Naruto involved!

She locked on to Mitsuki's chakra trail and ran all the way to the hospital. Once there, she found Boruto's room and Mitsuki, who was sleeping soundly on a cot. She kicked the bed and he woke swiftly. She held out the device. "How is Boruto?"

"He should be okay," Mitsuki muttered. "He might not thank me for the botch job I did on his arm."

"You saved his life." Mitsuki shrugged.

"Himawari?"

Sarada sighed and recounted the encounter in the base. "Ansei will take care of it, but we need back up and we need it now."

"W-we can't bring my dad here…" Boruto whispered. Sarada turned to him and narrowed her eyes.

"This isn't a game anymore, Boruto!" she snapped. "We need our parents!"

"It never _was_ a game. We have to save them… _Both_ of them!"

"I'm not saying we shouldn't," Sarada argued, "but we can't do it alone! Is your pride so deep that you would continue to risk our lives to prove to your father that you can save us all without him?"

"We can't bring him here," Boruto repeated.

Sarada narrowed her eyes. "Why not?" she snapped. "If anything, you need my mom to look at that hand!" Boruto turned away from her. He muttered something. "What was that?"

"I failed!" he snapped. "I failed this blasted mission! I failed to keep anyone safe and I failed to save him!"

"So what?" It was Mitsuki who answered, surprising Sarada. She turned to him. "So what if you failed? No one's dead yet, Boruto! You have failed, sure, but we still have time to learn from those failures! Are you so prepared to prove to your father that you don't need him that you'd let Himawari die to do it?!"

Boruto turned to Mitsuki, his eyes misty. Sarada clenched her fist, but Mitsuki beat her to the punch again. He grabbed Boruto's gown and held him eye to eye.

"Get over it!" he growled. "Ansei isn't worth saving, but here we all are, risking our lives to save a man who doesn't even want to be saved! If you can't accept failure, then we're already dead!" He shoved Boruto back onto the bed. Boruto didn't speak. Mitsuki turned to Sarada. "Start up the portal. We're going home and getting some blasted help!"

 _Author's note: Well, that took a while! Not as gory as I thought it would be. I decided to leave the option of Boruto losing his hand still up in the air! Hope ya'll liked this one!_

 _Also, I entered this fanfiction in a contest. Please vote for it by searching for HiddenWhiteFang on Inkett (can't post links on stories, unfortunately.)_


	24. World War Me

_Author's Note: This… went in a different direction than I wanted originally… Ever wonder who's writing your stories sometimes?_

 _Chapter Twenty-Four: World War Me_

Akuryo listened to Zetsu work on the two puzzle pieces with mild interest. He was never very involved in the finer details of their plan. It didn't interest him. Killing was all that interested him, and if Zetsu was happy, he was happy…

But, Zetsu wasn't happy.

Akuryo was confused. All seemed to be going well enough. They had everything they needed and he heard Zetsu say time and again how ready he was to kill Ansei and finish this mission, but the movements Zetsu made were angry and agitated. Occasionally he would talk to Ansei's unconscious body, calling him a stupid boy, but the insults were almost… kind…

Akuryo shook his head. Kind was not the right word. Nothing Zetsu did was kind. There weren't mean; they were angry, sure, but angry in the way a person would be if someone had betrayed them. Akuryo clenched his fists. Zetsu had admired the cursed boy since they met, but never had he given such real emotion in the way he talked to Akuryo. He was always distant to his disciple. This all seemed personal and that angered Akuryo greatly. _He_ was the loyal one. Ansei was nothing but a rat in a maze, trying desperately for cheese that was never there. That was what he was. Akuryo was the one who watched the rat for progress. He was the one that was doing this without incentive. He was the one that lived only for this plan!

He stood.

"Where are you going, Akuryo?" Zetsu asked.

"To bed, sir," Akuryo answered respectfully.

"Not yet. I need you to take these two to their cells. I'm almost finished here."

"Are we not going to kill the girl?" Akuryo asked, curious.

"No," Zetsu answered. "I might still need her, and we need to move as soon as I pack. Those kids might come back."

"As you wish, sir," Akuryo said. He squatted back in his corner and listened to his master combine the DNA of the two reincarnates "Why do you fear the children?" Akuryo asked.

"It is not fear. I simply do not want to risk anything else going wrong here; not when we're so close."

Akuryo shook his head and closed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep, because he jumped when he was addressed to take their prisoners away. "S-sorry, sir," Akuryo muttered. He stood and wheeled the two beds out of the room. He put them in a cell, locking their hands so that they could not make any handsigns, and then he left. He wanted to kill Ansei. No matter what he did, he would never be as important to Zetsu as the Hyuuga was

* * *

Boruto didn't want to go back, but Mitsuki had made sense, like always. Himawari was in danger and he couldn't deny that… He just knew that if his father got involved, then saving Ansei would not be any priority of his. It was frustrating. He looked down at his hand as Mitsuki and Sarada discussed the story they would tell. The pain killers the doctors had given him and the Sake Mitsuki had used blocked all the pain that would radiate from it, but he was sure that once all that wore off, the pain would be unbearable. He tried to make a fist with his exposed fingers, but all they did was twitch in response.

He sighed. "It'll take some physical therapy," Mitsuki said was he walked over. "Don't force it."

"Thanks," Boruto muttered softly. "Are we going back now?"

"Yeah. We'll take care of the Hokage."

"No," Boruto argued. "I will deal with my father. He will want to hear this from me."

Mitsuki blinked. "This isn't a normal mission where you went rogue but everything turned out for the better. You sister might very well be dead and you may never regain use of your hand."

"Thanks… for putting that all into perspective," Boruto muttered. "But, this is something I have to do."

Mitsuki narrowed his eyes. "There you go again! You don't trust anyone else, do you?" he snapped.

"It's not that," Boruto muttered. He pulled the IVs from his arm and took of the oxygen from his nose. "It's that this is almost a suicide mission and I can't let anyone else suffer for this. No one else has to die."

"You don't have to die either," Sarada said. She helped Boruto to his feet. "You don't have to do this alone. We will all face your father. We all failed this mission and we will all face the ramifications of this together."

Boruto looked to Mitsuki, who nodded. Sarada held out the device and poured chakra into it. Reality ripped and a forest appeared in the walls. The three nodded and stepped through the portal. It closed behind them and Sarada took a deep breath of the air from their world. "How far are we from the village?" Mitsuki asked.

"Not far," Boruto answered. "But dad already knows we're here." That wasn't a lie. Naruto had his senses out constantly for chakra signals entering his range. He would have known the instant the portal opened. Boruto suddenly felt a wave a nausea hit him. The sake was wearing off and the pain was coming. He stumbled back.

"Boruto?" Mitsuki asked with worry in his voice. He put his hand on Boruto's forehead. "You're burning up."

"You said you got all of it," Sarada snapped.

"I thought I did, but it was a field job! There was no certainty in that surgery!" He lifted Boruto in his arms, but before they could start for the village, a cloud of smoke engulfed them.

"Hokage-sama!" Sarada gasped.

"Dad," Boruto muttered. Naruto stared at them for a long moment. Boruto could pinpoint the moment he put two and two together. Himawari wasn't in their group. His blue eyes dulled and his fists clenched.

"Where is Himawari?" Naruto asked. His voice was tight and Boruto flinched. He opened his mouth, but instead of words, vomit come out. Mitsuki shook his head.

"Not now. He needs Sakura!" Mitsuki said. Naruto looked at his son and lifted him from Mitsuki before taking off to the village. Boruto closed his eyes and leaned his head and Naruto's chest.

"I'm sorry, dad," Boruto whispered through his fever. "I'm so sorry." Naruto gave no verbal response. He tightened his grip on his son and ran faster.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted as he opened the door to her home. The hospital would have been better, but there was no better doctor in the village than Sakura.

The pink-haired woman rushed to the door. "What happened?"

Boruto nodded to his bandaged arm. Sasuke cleared the table so Sakura could lay the boy down. Sakura cut off the bandages on the limb and the sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh pushed its way to Boruto. His eyes widened. "Dear god," Sakura gasped. "What is this?!"

"Mutated chakra," Mitsuki answered from the doorway. "It rots living tissue on contact. I… thought I had gotten it all."

Boruto stared at the limb as Sakura worked over it. She shouted at Mitsuki as she worked, though not in anger. Mitsuki took it all without flinching. Sakura felt the flesh and Boruto whimpered in pain. She turned to Boruto with a glowing hand and put her palm over his eyes. The pain melted away and his eyes rolled back in his head.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was staring at a white ceiling with the sound of steady beeping matching the pounding in his head. He groaned softly and tried to roll over, but found that he was heavily sedated and couldn't move. It was almost like a dream. The beeping had an echo to it and his breathing sounded like it was through a straw. He opened his mouth and a sound akin to a dog's whimper came out.

A face entered his line of vision. He was hoping it would be someone he knew, but it was just a nurse as she took his vitals. He tried to ask her a question, but couldn't find the words. His tongue was swollen and he felt like he couldn't get air through his throat. The nurse nodded and patted his good arm before exiting his field of vision. Boruto called out to her silently, but she was gone. Within moments he was gone as well.

It took three more awakenings before he was able to move, and every movement he made sent a wave of pain through his body. _All this for an infection?_ He thought. He tried to sit up, but a hand kept him down. "Dad…?"

Naruto looked down sadly at his son. Tears stained his face. "Look at you," Naruto whispered. "You're a mess."

"I'm sorry, dad," Boruto whimpered. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days," Naruto answered. "Mitsuki and Sarada told me what happened."

Boruto blinked. "I—"

"No, Boruto," Naruto said. Boruto flinched. His father was angry. "What were you thinking?!"

Boruto shrank back. "I didn't think—"

"Yeah, just stop there! You didn't _think_! You are _not_ invincible, Boruto! You can't just decide to go out on your own! How can you be expected to lead a team, or teach students, or even participate in any strategic battle formation if you can't learn to not go solo whenever you feel like it?!" Naruto ran his hands through his air in agitation. Boruto knew how much it must hurt his father to be having this conversation right now.

"Dad…?" Naruto didn't answer as he tried to calm down. Boruto sighed and lifted his wounded hand to take a look, but gasped as he did. From the elbow onward, the arm was gone. His eyes widened.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone," Naruto whispered. The calm in his voice was even more terrifying than his anger. "You are marred for _life_ Boruto! You sister could very well be dead! And it's not even that! It's that you went off alone!" Naruto shouted. "You came with a team and then you broke off the very second you could get away!"

"Well, that's it, isn't it?" Boruto snapped, his voice shaking. "I wanted to go on this mission by myself! I didn't ask for them to come!"

"And then you'd be dead!" Naruto shouted.

"At least it would have just been me!" Boruto retorted, matching his father's volume. "I would have been the only one dead!" Naruto was taken aback by his son's outburst and the words he spoke. "And it would have been fine! It all would have been just _fine_ if no one else got involved!" Boruto bowed his head and finally let the tears flow; the tears he had been holding back for days. "I didn't want them to come _because_ I couldn't protect them! My life was the only one that had to be taken for this mission! I can't save anyone!"

"Boruto…"

"Why haven't you gone to get her yet?" Boruto shouted.

"It takes a while to get affairs in order," Naruto explained quietly. "I was just about to leave, actually, but I heard you were waking up. I wanted to speak with you before I left."

"I'm going," Boruto snapped.

"Oh, no you aren't. You're staying here. You lost too much blood and there's no way you can fight with that injury."

Boruto bowed his head and nodded slowly. Naruto rested his hand on Boruto's shoulder. "You can save people, Boruto," he whispered. "Don't let this get you down, okay? We'll get her back." Naruto smiled and vanished from the room. The second he was gone, Boruto threw off his blankets. He concealed his chakra and fled after his father.

 _I have to fix this,_ he said as he ran through the streets in his hospital gown. _Sorry dad, but you aren't going on this one without me!_

* * *

Ansei stared blankly in the silence. His hand throbbed, but he couldn't see to do anything about it. He couldn't even perform the proper handsigns so he could fix it. He whimpered in the silence, his eyeless sockets staring in unbroken darkness. He covered his face with his good hand and sighed. This wasn't how he had wanted this all to end. Zetsu had everything now… He was just waiting… Waiting for Akuryo's chakra to accept the Rinnegan so he could complete the plan. It would all be over soon.

"I hope you're happy." Ansei didn't even flinch. "He wouldn't have taken your eyes if you had just stuck to the plan!" Ansei laughed dryly, but gave no other indication that he heard. "You let them get in your head! You let them poison your mind! We were so _close_ and you had to ruin everything we worked for! Now you're going to die in this hellhole, blind and pathetic, dying as you lived!"

"Shut up," Ansei groaned.

"Who are you talking to?"

Ansei jumped. That was a voice he wasn't expecting. He turned towards the sound. "What?"

"You were talking to someone."

"Could you hear them?" Ansei asked.

"No."

"Oh."

Silence.

He heard breathing from the other side of the cell. "Are you injured?" he asked.

"A little," was the answer.

"Are you in this cell?"

"No."

"You look hurt…" the voice pointed out. Ansei nodded. "I think I can reach your hand. I have some water. I can clean it." The person knocked on the cell and Ansei stumbled towards the sound, groping in the air with his good hand. He turned in the direction of the tapping. The person gasped. He looked away.

"I'm sorry. It's probably ugly," he muttered.

"I can clean your face too." He reached his crushed hand towards the voice and sighed as it was taken and cleaned with the lukewarm water. He heard a ripping sound and figured the person must be tearing their clothes to make a bandage. He still wasn't sure if any of this was real. Many nights he would stay awake and have vivid hallucinations that he could not only hear and see, but often feel and taste. He half expected to blink and be staring down his silver-haired companion. Often over the past six years, he would expect to open his eyes and find himself back at the Hyuuga compound and nothing had changed. His grip on reality was ever slipping.

He leaned forward when instructed and the person wiped the blood from his cheeks and he let them place a blindfold over his face to cover the open wounds.

"I hated you."

Ansei bowed his head and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You drove my brother crazy with worry," she whispered. "I resented you."

"I don't blame you," Ansei muttered.

"But you do have something. You're a lot like my father." Ansei lifted his sightless gaze to the girl. "You have a sort of pull to you… It's hard to explain. I didn't understand why Boruto would risk his life for someone like you, but I think I understand it now." Ansei turned away. "You're confused." He started, his good hand folding into a fist. "You don't need to be saved."

Ansei laughed without humor. "A lot of people would beg to differ," he muttered. "I've spent my whole life trying to deny my true colors."

"No, that's not right," Himawari argued. "And that's not what I meant. You don't need Boruto to save you… Or the Hyuuga, or the village. You have to save yourself."

Ansei shook his head. "I can't. He can't save me either. I will never find what I'm looking for."

"What _are_ you looking for?" Himawari challenged. Ansei shook his head again. He couldn't answer that question.

"I don't even know," he grumbled. "All this and I don't know what I'm looking for anymore. I don't think I ever knew. I think I've just become more and more lost since I got here. At least when I was in the Hyuuga Clan, I had a purpose, even if I hated it. What I've done here is nothing but damaging everything."

"So, what are you looking for?" Himawari asked again. "Peace? Purpose?"

"Me…" Ansei whispered. The word had slipped out. He hadn't meant to say it, but a sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach. He didn't even know who he was anymore. He _never_ knew who he was. Ansei wasn't even his birth name. Hyuuga wasn't his surname. "Yakushi… Maro…" The name felt weird on his tongue and to his ears. He had vague memories of that name being used when he was small. Those memories flashed in his head. They had taken everything he was… Everything he could have been. They had sealed a monster inside of him. They had let him turn into a monster. They had let him murder in cold blood. They had let him believe he was everything. They had let him believe he was nothing. They had given him a thousand identities and had taken the only one that truly mattered.

"Well, then… Who are you?" Himawari inquired quietly.

Ansei shook his head. "I don't have the answer to that question," he answered truthfully. A soft chuckle and a gentle hand reached him. He flinched.

"Well, Boruto wanted desperately to find that answer," she said.

Ansei managed a soft smile. "Yeah… I guess he did…" He turned to her and suddenly his world wasn't quite as dark. "I guess I gotta find the answer for him, don't I?"

* * *

"You get your butt back in that portal!" Naruto shouted at his son, but Boruto held his ground. The portal was closing. Sarada and Mitsuki had come back as well to help Naruto get to the base and use medical help if Himawari needed it.

"No," Boruto said firmly.

"Boruto." Naruto said dangerously.

"Dad," Boruto responded evenly. Naruto narrowed his eyes. He wished he couldn't believe this, but he had expected no less from his son.

"You're going to get yourself killed," Naruto snapped. Boruto met his eyes, narrowing them. Naruto didn't have much concern. From what Sarada had told him, they were simply facing an even less powerful Zetsu without Madara or Kaguya. This was fairly simple. He was only marginally concerned about the child with the rotting chakra. He expected this mission to be quick and easy without much resistance.

Ansei was the problem and Naruto was sure that was why Boruto was here. Naruto had honestly not planned on doing anything about Ansei. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he also didn't want to cause too many ripples in this world, and definitely didn't want to bring another Kyuubi back into their world. Boruto probably trusted Naruto to get Himawari back, but not Ansei.

"Your mother is going to be worried sick," Naruto reasoned. Boruto shrugged. "Fine."

"What?" Mitsuki and Sarada said in unison.

"There's no point in arguing."

"He can't fight!" Mitsuki pointed out bluntly. "He's dead weight, Hokage-sama!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I only speak the truth," Mitsuki said with a shrug. Boruto held out his remaining hand with his index and middle finger extended vertically in half the hand sign that was required to create shadow clones. A puff of smoke appeared and a clone stood beside Boruto. Naruto's eyes widened.

"When did you…?"

"You lost your arm," Boruto explained. "I asked Sasuke to teach me how to do one handed hand signs. I didn't want to be stuck in a battle if I broke my arm or something. I didn't really expect it to be a literal thing."

"Well… Let's stop wasting time, then." He looked at Boruto, who was still in his hospital gown. He reached in his pack and threw the boy some clothes he had brought in case this mission ended up being longer than he had expected. Boruto changed quickly with the help of his father and he and Sarada took the lead towards the base, though Naruto was sure Zetsu would have moved by now.

"Will he be okay, Hokage-sama?" Mitsuki asked.

Naruto turned to the young man and sighed. He had always trusted Mitsuki, despite who had created him. "Yes… I think he will."

"That was quite remarkable," Mitsuki said, referring to the shadow clone.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a smile. _But that's probably his only trick,_ he thought. One handed hand signs were a rarity in their world, and Sasuke wasn't stupid. He wouldn't have taught Boruto something like that unless he knew Boruto could handle it, but it would take several years before Boruto mastered it. The shadow clone had been unstable, but as long as he made a clone, he could do the Rasengan. "Tell me, Mitsuki-kun… Do you think Boruto will be able to save Ansei?"

"No," Mitsuki said bluntly. Naruto blinked. That was odd, but Mitsuki was a realist.

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked carefully.

"I did not interact with Ansei very much, Hokage-sama, so I cannot speak in definite terms, but when I did face him, I felt something within him."

"Hm? The fox?"

"No," Mitsuki answered, shaking his head. Naruto listened intently. Mitsuki was always good at judging character because he was often without bias in his judgements. "There is a darkness in him, Hokage-sama… A darkness stronger than the one I feel around my parent… I fear him."

"How so?"

"If that darkness if ever unleashed and realized to its full potential, I fear the consequences."

Naruto looked at Mitsuki, his eyes narrowed. He turned to his son as he and Sarada discussed something ahead of them. "What is your assessment, then?"

"Termination." Mitsuki said bluntly. He too was watching his teammates with worry in his eyes. His fists were clenched. "Ansei cannot be saved, Hokage-sama. That darkness in him will never be quelled. He must be killed if this world is to ever find peace."

 _Author's Note: First of all, the chapter title is a song called_ World War Me _by Theory of a Deadman. I suggest you go listen to it! Then come back here and tell me if you think it fits Ansei!_

 _Also, I actually trained myself to be ambidextrous because my uncle broke his dominant hand and couldn't write, and I didn't want that to happen to me, so Boruto preparing for this situation isn't exactly out of nowhere. At least not for me, anyway, because I did something similar. Sorry this one was kind of short and that there's a lack of sensory imagery in the middle. I also kind of glossed over the creation of the Rinnegan, and I know I kind of sped it up (it took Madara forever to do it, I know) but I figured if Zetsu was 100% involved, it wouldn't have taken Madara that long! And rules in World II are different… and stuff!_


	25. The Voices Inside of My Head

_Chapter Twenty-Five: The Voices Inside of My Head_

Naruto looked forward to his son as they ran. _You're conflicted,_ Kurama said quietly.

 _Yeah. We shouldn't interfere with this place too much, but if what Mitsuki said is true, then this Ansei kid is a dangerous entity._

 _So was Obito,_ Kurama pointed out. _He was changed._ Naruto sighed deeply and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was staring at the fox. _You changed him. You can most likely change this kid too. He's a Jinchuuriki as well._ Naruto sighed and crossed his arms. _You do not want to save him, then?_

 _It's not that,_ Naruto grumbled. _There's no such thing as too far gone. Mitsuki is young and doesn't understand that. There's no way Ansei is beyond hope._

 _Then why are you conflicted?_ Kurama asked with a long sigh. Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head. He was selfish, he knew. He didn't know Ansei at all, and he didn't want to kill him either, but he also didn't want his son to suffer the same mistakes he had as a child.

 _Because we_ can't _save him._ Naruto answered finally. Kurama opened a single eye to stare at his vessel. That was a very un-Naruto-like thing to say.

 _How so, kit?_

 _We can't take him to our world,_ Naruto said. _Even if we were to reform him and help him out of the darkness, he still has to face this world's consequences. Not everyone is as forgiving as our Konoha. I don't know a lot about this place, but from what Boruto has told me, it doesn't seem like this Konoha is as kind as home._

 _So, we leave him in the darkness?_

Naruto sighed and pulled out of the fox's chamber. He knew the answer to that question. They couldn't leave Ansei in the darkness. _But…_

… _No matter what we do, this will end in heart-ache,_ Kurama finished his thought. _Trust your son, Naruto. He is just as stubborn and foolhardy as you always have been. It is quite annoying._ Naruto giggled softly at the fox's endearing tone and ended the conversation. They would save Ansei, and then they would go from there.

* * *

 _I hate you._

 _I'm sorry,_ Ansei thought. He stared sightlessly at the ceiling, listening to Himawari snore softly in an uneasy sleep. He wished he could comfort her.

 _Who cares?!_

 _I do,_ Ansei retorted silently. The voices were relentless that night. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he would most likely die tomorrow.

 _Of course that's why!_ The voice reacted to his thoughts. _We've worked too hard to die like this, little brother!_

 _Maybe it's time to just give up. We knew we weren't going to make it to see the peace,_ Ansei reasoned without really caring. Tomorrow he died, and then the voices would finally stop. He did regret not being able to see Boruto one more time, but he had one final gift for his half-brother. His hand wrapped around a broken stone, sharpened to a deadly point. The fox would return one day after his death, that was sure, but Zetsu was impatient and all the pieces were here. _He'll let her go and I won't kill myself and make his life a lot more difficult for a while,_ Ansei thought with a nod.

 _Are you a fool?! Did you honestly think we would die at the end of this, Ansei?_

 _My name isn't Ansei._

There was a vicious laugh. _Oh, you want to be called "Maro" now?! Will that change this_ mess _you got us in to? Zetsu would have spared us if you had just stuck to the plan!_

 _What does it matter now, brother?_ Ansei asked as he rolled over to face the direction of Himawari's soft snores. _In the end, we knew this would never last. We had to die eventually._ He was finding that once you had resigned yourself to death, things became a lot easier to simply not care about. He sighed and opened his eyes, but instead of being met with darkness, he was met with blinding light. He covered his eyes with his hands, and to his shock, his hand wasn't broken anymore.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. He was lying in a white space. The silver-haired boy that had haunted him his entire life stood in darkness. A clear line separated the black and white dreamscapes. He stood slowly, never taking his pale eyes off of his counterpart. "What is this?" His voice echoed in the whiteness. He had often found himself in the fox's cage chamber, but there was no beast here.

The silver-haired boy laughed loudly. He had no echo in his darkness. "This is the hell you've confined me to! The hell that awaits you in death. Ansei, because that's where we're going! Sins cannot be forgiven as easily as you seem to believe that they can! You're a murderer, a heartless freak; a monster!" Ansei flinched. "You're afraid, aren't you?"

Ansei turned away. "Afraid of what?"

"The consequences of your actions!"

"There is no heaven or hell," Ansei argued. "No consequences… just death. I've learned long ago that we're alone and the only hell that exists is the one that we live in."

"You are impossibly naïve."

Ansei looked down at the endless white dreamscape that extended forever in any direction.

"You are afraid to die, little brother."

"I'm not your brother," Ansei finally pointed out. All his life he had been called "little brother" by the voice in his head, but he had never questioned the logic. The silver-haired boy didn't exist. He had been Ansei's imaginary friend, though he often used "friend" in the loosest sense of the word.

"Does that matter now?" he asked. A wide smile spread across his face. "You're terrified… Terrified that all this will mean nothing. You're afraid that when you die, no one will remember you. You're leaving this world with nothing to prove that you existed in this place, little brother, and that scares you!" Ansei looked away. "Boruto will grow up, get married and have children and you will fade from his mind. No one will visit your grave!" Ansei bit his lip as he began shaking. It was all true. "No one cares about Yakushi Maro!"

Ansei lifted his head quickly and stumbled back. "N-no…! People _do_ care!"

"Who? Boruto?" He laughed. "You are a charity case to him! That little girl? No one cares, Ansei! No one cares about you except for me! Our whole life I've been here to make sure you didn't get consumed by their lies! I've been here for you! _I_ care about you, Ansei, but if you die, I won't be around to put flowers on your grave!"

"My life is the only bargaining chip I have to save her life," Ansei argued weakly.

"Don't give your life away for her! You started this mission for peace, but since you seem so ready to betray Zetsu, who should we die for _his_ plan?" He lifted his hand and reached toward Ansei. "We will make our own peace, brother. We will be remembered."

Ansei looked away, shaking. Sarada's words flashed through the dreamscape, echoing. Boruto knew him, yet he had still come!

"He came to stop you!"

"He wants to save me!" Ansei shouted back.

"You don't need to be saved! Save yourself! Stop acting like the victim, Ansei!"

Sarada's words shouted back at him. The silver haired boy continued yelling at him about peace and everything he wanted and everything he feared. Boruto couldn't save him. No one could save him, because the enemy didn't exist.

" _Shut up!"_ Ansei screamed as he fell to his knees. His panicked cry echoed, killing the other voices until only silence remained. He had the fears and the doubts. The entity only existed because of the hatred he had felt his entire life. The entity had killed those people, had forced him to join Zetsu, had led him down this path, and was now digging his darkest fears to the surface. The entity _was_ him. It would not exist if he had not created it.

Footsteps echoed through the dreamscape. Ansei lifted his head. He was on the edge of the darkness. "Do something for yourself, little brother." He offered his hand to the weeping boy on the ground. "We want to live, Ansei. We don't need them to save us. _I_ will save you. We don't need Boruto, or that girl, or that village, or Zetsu. You don't want to go through with this. You've feared this day since it all began. Come with me…"

Ansei closed his eyes and reached up, gripping the silver-haired boy's hand. He smiled. Ansei shied away from that grin and then began to shake as the thunder rolled like massive footsteps. Two massive red eyes peered from the darkness and a row of razor sharp teeth showed in the black.

"Ky-Kyuubi?!" Ansei gasped. He tried to back away, but the hand that grabbed him kept him firmly in place. "I thought… I thought I had gained control of it!"

"I have control over it," the boy corrected. "And it's finally time to let this beast free!" Ansei ripped his hand out of the boy's grip and turned to retreat from the darkness. The fox roared behind him and lunged towards the fleeing figure, bringing the darkness with him and snuffing out the last flicker of light left in his soul.

* * *

Himawari woke to the horrid screaming coming from Ansei's cell. She lifted her head and gasped. He was curled on the ground, howling. His fingernails clawed the ground, tearing long scar-marks in the stone. Himawari ran to the bars of her cell. "Ansei!" she called to him, but he didn't seem to hear.

Black chakra began to consume him, almost like her father's Bijuu form, but more chaotic somehow. Unlike Naruto's, this form had nine black tails with white tips instead of the cloak. She watched as the chakra completely consumed Ansei and white markings appeared on his limbs and tails that were akin to Naruto's own markings. Two long fox ears perked up from the long black hair and swiveled, checking his surroundings. It was humanoid, but not perfectly human. The hands were elongated into claws and the beast looked as if it would be more comfortable on four legs than two.

"Ansei?" Himawari whimpered. The beast spun his eyeless gaze towards the sound. He let out another growled and ripped open the bars of his cage before going for hers. She backed away, but he was on her in a blink. She didn't even have time to react before she was pinned to the ground. Ansei held her tightly and she couldn't escape. Her whole body began to shake.

The creature stared at her for a long time, cocking his head almost in confusion. He reached down and Himawari let out a fearful yelp, but instead of a killing blow, it was a gentle caress. She blinked. His hand was warm and glowing. The pain from a cut receded as healing chakra came for his hand. "I… am sorry," he whispered in a deep, raspy voice. Before she could respond, he bounded out of the cell on all fours. Moments later there was the sound of feet landing behind her. She gasped and spun around.

"Daddy!" she called and ran to her father, who accepted her embrace lovingly, but she could feel how tense he was. She could feel Ansei's chakra.

"This ends now…"

* * *

Once Himawari was safe with Mitsuki, Sarada and Boruto, Naruto stood. "I'm going."

"Dad!" Boruto pleaded. "Don't hurt him."

Naruto turned to Mitsuki. He could feel it. A full Kyuubi, unleashed, unbridled and full of rage and hate. The thing could cause mass casualties before anyone subdued it. "I will do my best, son. Keep your sister safe." He offered them a strained smile and sped towards the source of the chakra.

Once he spotted Ansei drinking from a stream, he stopped. _What do you think, Kurama?_

 _This is an odd one,_ Kurama answered. _But he is only a kit. He is no match for us._

Naruto looked over the perverted Bijuu cloak the boy wore and shook his head. _How did this happen?_

 _Remember when you fought yourself at the waterfall?_ Kurama asked. Naruto nodded. _Something must have gone wrong in that stage of training. He didn't get rid of the darkness and that hatred, he merely allowed it continue to grow. He wasn't ready to gain full control of his Kyuubi. He had no love to fill his vessel, it seems, only rage and bitterness. It is a truly deadly mix; the hatred felt by the Bijuu within a Jinchuuriki mixed and working in tandem with the hatred of the vessel itself. It is indeed something to fear._

 _But we can handle this, right?_ Naruto had no doubts.

 _With ease._ Naruto looked up but the black beast was gone. He gasped and looked towards the sky in time to react to the swiping hand. The tree he was standing in front of exploded in deadly splinters. _He's strong._

Naruto stared at the boy for a moment while his body was engulfed in his own yellow Bijuu cloak. A wave of fear washed over him. It was a familiar feeling, but one he hadn't felt in several years. He was back at the waterfall, staring at the version of himself that was full of hatred and anger.

Ansei didn't let him get his look for long before he lunged at Naruto, swiping again at his throat. Naruto dodged, but Ansei was fast. He was behind Naruto in an instant and he unleashed a kick with chakra behind it. Naruto moved and the kick landed on another unfortunate tree. It didn't survive. _Such power behind those attacks._ Kurama muttered. Naruto nodded in agreement as he did a backflip to avoid another spine-shattering blow. Ansei clawed at him in desperation. Naruto figured this was what it had been like for Pain and Orochimaru to fight his four and six-tailed forms.

The boy was, however, blind. His elongated, foxlike snout lifted in the air, flaring and tasting the chakra in the air. "We could talk about this!" Naruto called as he backed away from the viscous attacks.

"There are no words anymore!" Ansei growled back. His voice was deep and resembled a growl, but was also distinctly human. Naruto could describe the entity before him as a mix between the Bijuu cloak and the four-tailed form.

Naruto sighed and thrust his hand out. A massive fox claw stretched from his chakra, throwing Ansei back several meters. The boy wiped his mouth and smiled.

"This could be fun," he growled.

"Fun isn't exactly the word I would use here," Naruto muttered. "You can't win this, so stop this foolishness! I don't want to hurt you, Ansei, I want to help you!"

"I don't need your help!" Ansei howled as he ran towards Naruto, who side-stepped him like a bullfighter, but that was exactly what Ansei was expecting. He twisted his body, intertwined his fingers and thrust out his palms like his was cracking his knuckles. The shockwave of chakra that flew out towards Naruto sent him flying backwards. Naruto landed in a crouch and shook his head.

"He's a Hyuuga," he muttered. "Great. Guess talking him down isn't going to work, eh Kurama?"

 _That has never stopped you before,_ Kurama pointed out.

"No, it hasn't." Naruto ran towards Ansei, but the boy was prepared for it. Naruto smirked. He was faster and stronger than the inexperienced shinobi. Naruto aimed a punch to Ansei's face, but the boy, in Gentle Fist style, redirected the blow, sending Naruto rolling forward. He swept Ansei's legs, but before he fell, the black tails of the Bijuu cloak caught him and he righted himself, regaining his balance. Ansei spun in a Rotation pattern slapping the downed Naruto in the face with the chakra tails, cutting his cheeks. The cuts healed over quickly, but they continued to sting. Naruto didn't have time to recover before Ansei was on top of him, swinging his flat hands and leaving a deadly chakra trail behind each swipe. _Chakra Scalpel? He's a medical ninja too?!_ Naruto gasped, rolling out of the way. He got back on his feet and kicked out at Ansei, landing a solid hit on the boy's chest and successfully sending him back several meters. _How is it possible that he's so proficient at fighting in that form so quickly?_

 _He and his fox aren't fighting each other for chakra. They are working together for the same goal, just like we are. However, he is full of rage,_ Kurama explained. _End this quickly. Naruto._

 _Sure._ Naruto narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to hurt Ansei, but he also didn't want to drag this out any longer. He created several shadow clones and all of them ran towards the black Bijuu. Ansei howled and ran towards the pack of Naruto's on all fours. He lunged into the air and performed several handsigns. A massive fireball appeared and propelled towards Naruto. Naruto created a wind attack the dispersed the flames in several directions, igniting the forest around them. Naruto spun to make sure the flames stayed away from him. If this was Ansei's plan, it was a pretty good one.

Naruto gasped as flaming kunai flew towards him. He dodged left, but was met by Ansei's chakra tails. He took the hit in order to old of the tangible tails and threw Ansei into his own flames. Ansei stood in up in the fire, the flames licking hungrily at his black chakra. He performed a stream of handsigns too quickly for Naruto to follow and the fire around him rose in a wave. Ansei directed the fire towards Naruto, who ran from the flaming tsunami without batting an eye. That would not end well for him.

Naruto ran out of the line of fire and hid behind a tree to catch his breath. _You are wasting time!_ Kurama berated him. Naruto closed his eyes. He knew that. This fight could have ended a while ago, but he hadn't wanted to hurt Ansei. Now that he knew the power that boy had in him, he couldn't drag this on anymore.

 _You're right. We have to end this before we change the landscape._ He turned to peek around the tree. The shadow clones running around was keeping the blind Jinchuuriki busy for the time being. _I can't just go around throwing Rasenshuriken in this firestorm. I have to get a direct hit on him. If I aim correctly, I'll only knock him out, not kill him._

He created another Rasengan in his hand and jumped out into the fray, destroying all the other shadow clones to lure Ansei towards him. Sure enough an enraged howl told Naruto that his target was coming. He ran towards the howl as Ansei ran towards him. _One fell swoop. We'll talk to him once this is all over… Once he can think._

But there was a miscalculation. At the speed they would hit each other, the Rasengan was fatal. If Ansei were standing still, the damage would be reduced, but they were charging at one another at full speed.

" _Stop!"_

Naruto lifted his head at the voice as Boruto jumped between the battling Jinchuuriki

"Dad!"

Naruto gasped and pulled his hand back, desperately trying to skid to a halt. Ansei too dispelled his own attack and stopped within a foot of hitting Boruto, his tails arching over them both. Naruto cut his chakra flow millimeters before attacking his own son. The residual air from the ball blew Boruto's hair, but, to Naruto's infinite relief, he was untouched by the attack.

* * *

Akuryo sat in a pitch black room with his eyes closed. Zetsu had said that the first time he opened his eyes, it would be something incredible, but he was actually afraid. Sight was never something he wanted or even felt he needed. Surely fighting with sight would be far more difficult. There were so many distractions. He had never wanted to even imagine what his chakra did to people. He had no concept of disgusting. He knew the scent of rotting flesh, but had never even begun to try and imagine what it looked like. It was impossible for him.

But now… _now_ he could see. For the first time, he was seeing black. He had always thought sighted people saw nothing when their eyes were closed, but even as he sat in a room with no light in pitch darkness, he was seeing black for the first time in his life. For the first time, he was afraid. What was it like to see?

"When are we going to move, Zetsu-sama?" Akuryo asked.

"As of right now, there are two Jinchuuriki fighting nearby. Ansei and another man that I had not anticipated showing up. We will wait for their battle to end. Ansei will lose, and then we will come for the fox." Akuryo nodded. "Are you ready?"

Akuryo stiffened. Was he ready? He wasn't sure. What was it like? He wanted to ask those questions, but he knew Zetsu did not care to answer. "Yes." He heard the man move across the room and strike a match. The smell of burning wick and melting wax reached Akuryo. Fire.

For him, fire was warmth. When he was young, they had described it to him, but he had never been able to grasp a burning ball of light. All he knew about fire was that it was hot and painful if you touched it. He cracked his new eyes open before turning away quickly, slamming them shut. He began to shake. What _was_ that? Was that light? "Take your time," Zetsu said carefully. Akuryo knew it had nothing to do with him caring about his pawn. Zetsu merely needed Akuryo battle ready as soon as possible.

Akuryo slowly opened his eyes again, but not staring towards the lit candle. Instead he looked behind him at the shadows that danced on the wall from the flame. He blinked and shook his head. The illuminated part, he assumed, was light and the shadows were dark. These were concepts he had no grasp on. He slowly turned towards the flaming candle and narrowed his eyes in confusion. The flame moved. He tried to come up with a point of reference for the moving energy, but couldn't.

He had heard the word "dance" to describe flame, but he didn't know what it meant to dance. He had also heard of fights being described as dances as well, but he had never associated flames with fighters. "What is that?" he asked finally, unable to let his curiosity die.

"That color you see is called blue," Zetsu explained.

 _So,_ that's _blue?_ He tried to store the information, but found he had nowhere to store it. His brain had no way to associate this new information. He was already becoming overwhelmed and all he had "seen" was a flame and dancing shadows on a wall that was the same color as the flame. "Is that wall blue as well?"

"No," Zetsu answered. "But the fire is casting a blue light over this room." Akuryo shook his head. Even though he was seeing it, it still made no sense.

He lifted his hand and looked down at it, balling it in and out of a fist. _So this is what a hand looks like?_ His skin was the same shade of blue as the walls. "Is my hand the same color as the wall?" he asked.

"Yes."

Akuryo shook his head. He had been told that Zetsu didn't look like a human, but that didn't matter to him. He didn't know what a human looked like. He covered his eyes with his hands.

"Do not fear it," Zetsu said. "You will understand soon, Akuryo. Can you fight?"

"With a blindfold," Akuryo said. He took a deep breath and turned to Zetsu before slowly removing his hands from his face. His eyes widened and he backed away. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting in seeing Zetsu the first time, but this wasn't it. Zetsu walked towards the child and he shied away. He had never felt like a child in an adult's world before, but now he was realizing how small he truly was.

He had never felt blind until the moment he could see.

Zetsu reached out and cupped the child's chin in his hand. "Sight may not be a weakness, but I did not give you this gift to hold you back. Learning to see is not essential for this last part of our mission, Akuryo. You were born in darkness and there you will remain." Akuryo nodded. "Never forget your roots. The light is no place for a creature like yourself."

Akuryo nodded again. The door swung open and harsh light poured into the room. Akuryo growled and looked away. Zetsu sighed.

"What is it, Saimin?"

"Are you aware that there are two Kyuubi Jinchuuriki outside?"

"I am well aware of this." Zetsu moved to discuss with the woman. Akuryo turned to her and blinked in the light. That's what a human was, it seemed. He compared the differences between both Zetsu and Saimin and shook his head. It was all too much. He reached for a piece of cloth, but as he stared down it and his brain tried to process the information it was receiving, he made a choice. _I want to see,_ he thought. He pocketed the blindfold and turned to the two figures.

"Zetsu-sama, I am ready," he called.

Zetsu turned to him with those eyes that he didn't know the color of. "You are far from ready," he pointed out. "We have to wait until the beasts outside kill one another, and then we can move."

"Of course, my lord."

He turned back to look at his hand, tracing his fingers with his other hand. As he did so, a soft, child-like smile spread across his face and he laughed quietly. He could see!

 _Author's Note: Do you have any idea how hard it was to research how a blind person would feel after being able to see? It's such a hard concept to grasp for a seeing person! It really is! I hope that whole scene went well enough! Anyone want to see two full-fledged Kyuubi duke it out next chapter?_


	26. Dust to Dust

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Dust to Dust_

Ansei cocked his head. "You should stay out of this," he growled at Boruto.

"I actually agree with him," Naruto muttered.

Boruto sighed deeply. "Can't you two work this out without trying to kill one another?"

Ansei shrugged and relaxed his tails, but didn't drop his chakra cloak. He felt that Naruto didn't either. He didn't know Boruto's father. They had only one encounter prior to this mess and all Ansei really remembered about it was a lot of yelling. He also remembered that Boruto had been angry at his father, and had thought poorly about him. Through their two encounters, Ansei couldn't say he blamed his friend for hating his father. He seemed like a power-hunger, control freak that seemed to have a god-complex.

 _Like we don't have a god complex?_ Ansei scoffed.

"Well, this has to end," Naruto said. Had Ansei been able to see, he would have seen the control freak with a god complex reach out his hand in a truce, mostly for the sake of their shared interest standing in the middle of their landscape-changing battle. However, Ansei could not see because his eyes had been taken and given to Akuryo, and in that very moment, that shared interest stumbled back and collapsed onto Ansei due to the blood loss from the amputation that Ansei didn't know had happened. In that moment, with Naruto's poor choice of words, and the concerned tone that Ansei mistook as annoyance with his son for lack of experience with concern, Ansei believed that Naruto had gone _through_ his child in order to attack the black-chakra Jinchuuriki.

Ansei gripped Boruto's unconscious form in his arms and turned his eyeless gaze to Naruto. "You monster!" Ansei shouted, holding Boruto to his chest.

"Wa-wait! What?!" Naruto gasped. Ansei kicked Naruto away from them and backed away from the flames he had created. He only had a moment before Naruto came back. He placed Boruto near a tree and gently handled him so that he would wake up and be able to get out of there. He lifted his head and howled, morphing as he did so.

* * *

Naruto hit his head on a tree and rubbed it. "What the heck just happened?" he moaned. Ansei's sudden change in demeanor haDust d completely caught him off guard. "I thought we were ending this."

 _He is blind,_ Kurama pointed out.

 _I didn't_ do _anything!_ Naruto snapped as he stood. The howl rang through the forest and Naruto lifted his head as a black and white Kyuubi appeared, slightly transparent. "Are you _kidding_ me?! He can do that?"

 _Well, this just got interesting._

 _Interesting isn't the word I would use here._ Naruto wasn't eager to figure out what else that child could do. _Guess we have no choice. You ready?_

 _It is about time,_ Kurama growled. Naruto sighed and clapped his palms together. Suddenly he was engulfed in a giant yellow fox, matching Ansei's black and white one. He honed in on Boruto's chakra.

 _We have to move this away from here!_ He created a shadow clone to go after Boruto and get him away from this battle and to inform the other children to get as far away as they could. He and the fox turned to their opponent once the clone vanished with Boruto. Naruto swallowed hard. Often he had faced an opponent that he could imagine himself becoming had he made the wrong choices in life, but this was the first time he was truly facing himself.

Naruto directed the fox to make several large strides away from the base where he had left the kids before spinning around. Ansei had taken the bait and was running at him at top speed. Kurama stood on his hind legs and grabbed Ansei's fox as he lunged at them. He was lifted off the ground and rolled. _Don't cause too much damage!_ Naruto berated Kurama.

 _Sure. I will try not to destroy any more trees._

 _When did you get the jokes?_ Naruto snapped, annoyed. They turned as Ansei came for the again. The black fox grabbed Kurama and bit down on his neck, causing the yellow beast to howl. Naruto grimaced and clenched his fist, aiming Kurama's claw to punch Ansei's fox in the side, but he didn't release his death grip on them. Kurama clawed at his assailant. He dug his claws into the beast's back. The fox gasped and backed away with deep score marks in his back. The foxes glared at each other, growling. Naruto shook his head.

" _Give it up, pup!"_ Kurama growled. _"You cannot win this! End this now before we are forced to kill you!"_

The black fox laughed. _"You have no real power here!"_ he growled, clawing a trench in the ground.

" _I warned you."_ Kurama opened his mouth and chakra condensed in front of him. One Bijuu bomb and this fight would be over. Naruto bit his lip. He didn't want to use that, but he knew Kurama wasn't going to make a full-fledged one. A small one would end this without hurting more the landscape around them. The black Kyuubi cocked his head in mere curiosity, watching the ball of deadly chakra perform.

 _I don't like the way he's not concerned,_ Naruto told Kurama.

 _Too cocky for his own good._ The ball formed and Kurama fired it at Ansei and his fox. Naruto watched, but to his dismay, the black beast in front of him swiped his tails and the bomb was redirected into the sky, where it exploded, bathing the dull grey morning in brilliant orange and white light. The black beast lunged at Kurama and pounced on top of the yellow fox. Kurama roared angrily and the two massive beasts clashed like titans, clawing and biting in order to incapacitate the other.

Eventually, Ansei's fox broke away and curled his tails. The sky was still glowing with the faint orange light. _"A Bijuu Bomb will not help you here! Give up this foolishness!"_ Kurama called.

" _Too cocky for your own good!"_ the fox howled. He rocked back on two legs and put his hands together, forming hand signs. Both Ansei and the fox took in a large breath. Naruto's eyes widened as they released a massive fire attack on the other fox. Flames shot not only from the fox' mouth, but his tails as well. Kurama threw his front legs up in an X shape to avoid major damage from the attack, but the surrounding forest was not as fortunate. The landscape was set ablaze as fire rained down upon the dry foliage. It ate hungrily at the plants. Kurama howled, but before he could counter the attack, Ansei's fox was upon them, lunging through the firewall it had created.

"We have to end this, Kurama, or we'll take out the entire countryside!" Naruto screamed. He hadn't been expecting Ansei to put up as much of a fight and Naruto was no longer going easy on him. Kurama swiped at the beast, but it redirected the attack. Naruto had never seen a Bijuu use a gentle-fist fighting style and he was no less than shocked. _What_ is _he?!_

* * *

" _You just didn't know when to leave well enough alone…"_

Boruto's eyes snapped open and he sat up. "Big brother!" Himawari gasped. Sarada smiled in the orange light and Mitsuki turned to them.

Boruto groaned and rubbed his head. "What happened?" he groaned.

"You passed out from blood loss," Mitsuki answered simply. "It wasn't exactly your smartest idea to get between your father and Ansei."

"Are they still fighting?"

Mitsuki nodded. "And this is a fight you should not get involved in, though I fear it will not last much longer."

Boruto's eyes widened. "I have to stop them!" He struggled to his feet, but was stopped by Sarada and Mitsuki.

"You must rest."

"He's right," Sarada agreed. "You are in no condition to do any fighting. You're body's still recovering from the amputation."

Boruto narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine! I have to stop them before dad kills Ansei!"

"I doubt Lord Seventh would kill Ansei," Sarada reasoned. "He's a kind man."

"I know that!" Boruto snapped. "But Ansei wants my dad dead!"

"I highly doubt that is a problem," Mitsuki said with a shrug. "There is no way that Ansei will be able to kill your father, and Lord Seventh is not the kind of man who would kill someone simply to save his own life."

"I know that!" Boruto repeated. "But Ansei won't stop until one of them is dead!"

Sarada blinked and then seemed to realize the problem. "So he'll kill himself before surrendering. Lord Seventh will be forced to kill him to stop him."

"Exactly!" Boruto pushed passed his friends.

"It is not advisable," Mitsuki said. "Boruto, in the end, is Ansei really worth all of this?"

Boruto stopped for a moment. "What are you saying?"

"Is his death really something that we should be concerned about? Would it not be better for him and everyone else if he does die?" Boruto clenched his fists. He knew Mitsuki wasn't doing it to be mean. Mitsuki had mostly gathered all the data about this situation and had come to the logical conclusion; Ansei was a threat and had to be eliminated.

"It's more complicated than that, Mitsuki."

"Is it?" Mitsuki asked.

"I'm not having his conversation."

"You will die," Mitsuki pointed out. "You are in no condition to stand between titans!"

Sarada sighed and pulled out a pill. "Here."

"Sarada!" Mitsuki snapped. Boruto took it.

"Was is it?"

"A soldier pill," Sarada said. "It won't fix the problem, but it'll keep you awake long enough to do your thing."

Mitsuki narrowed his eyes. "Why are you helping him?" he snapped.

"Because he's going to go whether or not we agree with him. We might as well give him a fighting chance."

"Will he be okay?" Himawari asked.

Boruto smiled as he downed the pill and turned to his sister. "I'll be fine, Hima-cha! Don't worry, okay?" He patted her head and offered her a wide smile. "I promise."

He turned and took off running, though he knew Mitsuki was angry. He liked Mitsuki. They were best friends, but Ansei was someone he had to save. Mitsuki didn't _need_ someone else. He was a strong individual that didn't need saving. Ansei wasn't that person. He was someone who needed other people

Boruto ran towards the battle of titans, clutching his hand to his chest. His heart pounded, working to pump what remained of his blood through his body. His heart had never fully recovered from their fight six years ago. He shook his head. Ansei had to give this up. He couldn't let anyone die!

As he got closer to the battle, the forest was consumed in flame. Boruto covered his mouth and plunged into the inferno, running until he came across the massive clearing the two foxes had created in the forest. Boruto watched in awe as the two beasts wrestled each other, clawing and howling.

He waited for the perfect moment to get between them and it came when Kurama broke away from Ansei's fox and backed away a few steps, shaking his head to clear it. Ansei's black fox opened his mouth and prepared another attack, but Boruto ran in between the fighting foxes. _"STOP!"_ he screamed, holding his remaining hand towards Ansei. He heard Kurama gasp behind him and watched as the black fox sniffed the air for his chakra. "Ansei, please!" Boruto yelled to the fox. "Please stop this! You don't have to fight anymore! It's over!"

The beast cocked his head and growled. Boruto gasped as Kurama's yellow paw came over him protectively, holding him like a cage. Ansei's fox howled angrily, clawing at the ground in agitation.

"Dad! Stop!" Boruto shouted at his father. "I need to do this!"

" _Foolish pup! There are no more words for this beast!"_ Kurama growled angrily. _"Step aside, child! I do not want you to get hurt, Boruto!"_

"Please, daddy!" Boruto called, ignoring Kurama's warnings.

There was a tense moment where the two foxes stood in a stalemate, growing at each other, mentally claiming the boy between them as their own like two dogs would fight over a bone.

"Enough, Kurama," he heard Naruto say. The shock went through both Kurama and Boruto.

" _Are you insane?"_ Kurama growled.

"I trust my son," Naruto answered. Kurama growled, but didn't argue further. The paw covering him was moved and the fox receded back into Naruto. The man landed gently on the ground with his hand on Boruto's shoulder. "You've got this," Naruto whispered. Boruto nodded and turned back to the fox while Naruto backed away gently.

"Ansei!" Boruto called again to the boy and the fox. "Ansei, I know this is a mess! This is all messed up, and you probably feel like you have nothing left, but that's a lie! You have _me!_ You have your family, Ansei!"

The fox growled. " _He has no one! He has nothing!"_

"Maybe it feels like that, but it's not true! Ansei, I promise! I will never leave you alone here again! You never have to be alone again!"

" _You cannot promise that!"_ the fox howled.

"I can! I will stay here if I have to!" The fox lowered his head to face Boruto. The boy stood in the wake of the scrutiny of the giant beast. He felt wind as he sucked in air, sniffing his chakra. Boruto reached out and the fox snarled angrily.

"Boruto," Naruto warned, but Boruto ignored his father's warning. If he showed he didn't trust Ansei, then he would never gain Ansei's trust.

Boruto rested his hand on the black beast's nose. His small hand was nothing more than the tip of a needle to the creature, but even he felt the shiver that went through the titan. It exhaled deeply, sending a strong wind to wash over Boruto, but he held his ground. "Ansei," Boruto started, "this is over. I want to offer you a home. No more schemes, no more weapons. You can make a life for yourself, Ansei! You can put all this behind you."

A soft sound came from the beast, but it was not an angry growl. It was a soft rumble, almost like a purr. The beast receded and as it did, the black bijuu cloak remained. Boruto's hand was left in Ansei's warped hand, palm to palm. "Can you promise that?" Ansei asked meekly.

Boruto looked at him with sad eyes. "No, I can't." Ansei hissed softly. "I can't promise you that you will have a good life, Ansei. I can't guarantee that there will be no more hardships for you, and I can't promise that you will be happy. Our world is as unpredictable as yours. What I _can_ promise you, though, is that it will be _your_ life."

Ansei turned away from Boruto. "That sounds perfect, but you know that I can never be forgiven for what I've done. I just… I can't even understand why you are here, Boruto. Why do you care so much? I killed you!"

"I know you did," Boruto answered calmly. "And I know what you've done here."

"Then you know I can't be forgiven!" Ansei snarled. "I'm a monster, Boruto! Look at me!"

"I am," Boruto retorted evenly. "I see a lost boy, but I don't see a monster. A true monster wouldn't care, Ansei." Ansei turned away. "And I do forgive you."

Ansei flinched as if he had been slapped. "Why?" he growled weakly.

"Because we're brothers," Boruto answered.

Ansei sighed and bowed his head. The black Bijuu cloak receded, leaving the eyeless Hyuuga standing and shaking. "Thank you…"

Not a second after the boy had spoken, he gasped and fell forward. Boruto caught him and then glared behind the boy. Zetsu stood with a smile on his wicked face. A long tendril came from his hand to Ansei's back. He yanked the tendril and Ansei screamed before going limp as the strand was yanked completely out. Boruto's eyes widened when he noticed that the tendril had a distinct fox face on the end before it vanished inside the black creature.

"No!" Boruto shouted, but he couldn't move before his father lunged at Zetsu. Boruto turned away from the fight and lowered Ansei to the ground, shaking him. He knew very little about the relationship between a Jinchuuriki and the Bijuu, but he knew enough to know that not one survived an extraction for long, and the only ones that had were Uzumaki, or Obito. Ansei wasn't either and his life had been cut off the second the fox was removed. He was dead.

Boruto looked down at the lifeless figure without fully believing that it had ended so quickly. Everything they had worked for was over in the blink of an eye. Nearby he could hear his father facing off with Zetsu, but suddenly that didn't matter anymore. He had promised Ansei that his life would be his own, and for a moment, the boy was free and then it was taken from him. He couldn't believe how cruel the world was.

Boruto shook his head and tilted Ansei's head slightly. Every ninja was trained in basic first aid and he was on a team with two medics. He knew a few emergency tricks. He put his lips to Ansei's and blew before moving and pumping his chest with his single hand. He would make this work. He would save the boy! Ansei didn't deserve this! He didn't deserve to die like this!

"Boruto?" The boy didn't react to Sarada's voice as he continued the CPR, though he was struggling with one hand. "Boruto, he's dead," Sarada said gently.

"N-no! He's not going to die like this!" Boruto gasped. He was already out of breath and was light headed, but he wasn't going to give up on the Hyuuga. He'd die with him if he had to.

Mitsuki grabbed Boruto's shoulder, but Boruto pulled away violently. "He's dead!" Mitsuki snapped. "Don't kill yourself for a corpse!"

"If you aren't going to help me, then leave me alone!" Boruto gasped angrily. He heard Mitsuki sigh, but ignored him. Sarada knelt on the other side of Ansei and put glowing hands on his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Helping," she answered. Mitsuki knelt beside Boruto. "He needs to know he did everything he could."

Boruto turned to Mitsuki for just a moment, pleading with him. Mitsuki sighed deeply. "I will help you, then. For you, but not for him."

"I'll take it."

The three children worked on the corpse for several minutes before Boruto finally bowed his head. Once he did, Mitsuki and Sarada stopped working. Boruto let the tears fall. "It's not fair!" he shouted. He lifted his head when he heard ripping. Mitsuki was tearing into Ansei's shirt and then he slit a hole in Ansei's side. Boruto had heard the story of how Sakura had saved his father's life after his Bijuu had been extracted. "What are you doing?" Boruto whispered.

Mitsuki put his hand inside Ansei's chest. "You are right," he said quietly. "It's not fair."

* * *

Zetsu didn't have to beat Naruto, he just had to evade him, and evade him he did. Zetsu stepped out of the wall in the base. "We haven't much time!" he said quickly. Akuryo turned to him. His eyes were uncovered and the room was still dim so that he would not be overwhelmed with the sights.

"Of course, Zetsu-sama." He walked to Zetsu and smiled. "Do you have it?"

"I do! All the pieces are finally in place!"

"So, the kid's dead, then?" Nikko asked from the doorway.

"Yes, Ansei is dead." He tried to keep regret out of his voice, but there was still enough of a hint for Nikko to grin. Zetsu narrowed his eyes. He didn't care. He had wanted Ansei to die, but it wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped. He had been with the brat for six years and he should be happy to be rid of the needy child, but he didn't feel happy. He felt almost regretful. Ansei would not be able to witness the fruits of their labor.

Akuryo studied Zetsu's face, but luckily for the creature, Akuryo was unable to read expressions. "Put your blindfold on," he told Akuryo. "There is another fox here that will be a major problem."

"Of course, my Lord," Akuryo said quietly. He did as he was told and then turned to Zetsu, ready to receive the final beast.

"Good. Let us go. We're almost finished here."

 _Author's note: Guess what! Merry Christmas! This fight was really hard to write. I had a perfectly clear image of what I was writing, but I didn't really know how to describe it! Hopefully t worked out well! I'm_ pretty _sure this story will end on Chapter 30, but I hope you all keep an eye out for the next story! It's going to be awesome!_


	27. From the Ashes

Chapter Twenty-Seven: From the Ashes

" _Are you leaving, daddy?"_

 _Kabuto looked down at his child, his dark eyes sad. "I have to," he said quietly. He knelt before his son and smiled softly. "One day, Maro, we'll be a family again," he promised._

 _Ansei was only three at the time as he watched his father's back recede from him. He looked down at his hands and held back tears. None of this made sense. Why couldn't he go with his parents? He didn't want to stay with the Hyuuga. They were mean! He shook his head and ran after his father._

" _You called him Maro…"_

 _Ansei stopped before opening the door, clenching his fist to his chest fearfully._

" _Yes I did. That is the name Hinata and I gave our son," Kabuto snapped._

" _His name is Ansei," the Hyuuga elder said sternly. "You will only address him as such."_

" _I will address_ my _son however I see fit!" Kabuto retorted angrily. "You don't own him!"_

" _That is where you are wrong," the elder said. "That boy is our property now. You traded him to use for protection of your precious little orphanage."_

" _He is not your slave!" Kabuto growled, stepping dangerously towards the Hyuuga elder. Ansei took a step back, biting his lip. He didn't understand._

" _He might as well be," the man returned calmly. "He belongs to the Hyuuga clan, Kabuto. He is not your son anymore. Yakushi Maro is dead, and you better accept that he will never be the boy you wanted him to be. He is ours to raise as a replacement for that crippled brat!"_

" _You forced Hanabi into this! You have no one to blame but yourself for this mess!" Kabuto growled. He gasped as the elder threw a powerful, opened palm strike on his stomach._

" _Know your place, Yakushi Kabuto," he snapped. "Your son is no longer your son." Kabuto looked up from his doubled over position. Ansei turned away and started walking the way he had come. He clenched his fists as he walked. Maro was dead..? Then who was Ansei…? And who was he…?_

* * *

 _Ansei opened his eyes to nothing. It wasn't darkness. It was simply nothing. He could see his body, but his body was resting on a ground that didn't exist. "Am I… dead?"_

" _Might as well be…" Ansei turned to see his silver-haired counterpart sitting with his knees hugged to his chest. "They're trying to keep us alive, but it won't work."_

 _Ansei sighed. "That was a weird memory," he muttered. He had heard that when you died, your life flashed before your eyes, but he wasn't expecting a memory he had long since forgotten to be his dying vision._

" _Not a very significant one for you," the boy whispered._

 _Ansei shook his head. He wondered why the boy was there. He had only been a part of Ansei's imagination. Why would he follow him to the afterlife? Unless this was some hallucination of his dying brain._

" _Your whole life is a hallucination," the boy snapped angrily._

" _That's a bit harsh," Ansei retorted, standing. "Why did we have that memory?" The boy didn't answer. Ansei realized that he couldn't, because Ansei himself didn't know. Ansei started walking, but no matter how long he went in any direction, he went nowhere. He was nowhere. Eventually he gave up and sat beside the silver haired boy. "We can't leave," he observed._

" _Why did we have that memory?"_

 _Ansei turned to the boy and blinked. Why did he care? If neither one of them could answer, then there was no point in talking about it._

" _Why?"_

" _I don't know," Ansei muttered. "I didn't even remember that happened. Is it to show us that our dad actually did care about us?" The boy shook his head. "Then I don't know."_

" _Why?" he repeated._

" _Why does it matter?" Ansei snapped, getting agitated. "We're dead anyway!"_

" _Who am I?!"_

" _What?"_

" _Who…am…I…?"_

 _Ansei stood and backed away from the entity. "Me," he answered. "You're me."_

" _Then who are you?"_

" _What's with you all the sudden?"_

" _Who are you?!" he shouted._

" _Yakushi Maro!" Ansei snapped angrily._

" _No, you aren't!"_

 _Ansei took another step back. He had lived his whole life with this entity. It had grown up with him, worked with him, berated him, abused him and comforted him when there was no one else. Never once had Ansei questioned_ when _he created the silver haired boy and never had he questioned_ why.

 _He shook his head. "Yakushi Maro is dead," he whispered, repeating the words of the elder. He lifted his head to stare at the eyeless face staring back at him. The boy had always been blindfolded… always blind. "Yakushi Maro is dead," Ansei repeated, his voice choking. "My name is Hyuuga Ansei…"_

" _So you understand now," the boy whispered as he stood._

" _Maro…"_

 _The silver hair smiled softly. "Nice to meet you, Ansei," he whispered._

 _Ansei blinked. "I… I don't understand."_

" _You suppressed that memory," Maro explained softly. "And every memory of the name Maro because you wanted to make yourself Ansei… But, in the end, you became neither… So you created me, as a place for your anger and hate to manifest, and it festered. I became angry."_

"' _No one cares about Yakushi Maro'… You weren't talking about me," Ansei muttered._

 _Maro shook his head. "I was meant to be something for you, but I became a demon for you to deal with." Ansei looked at his silver haired counterpart, Maro, and his eyes filled with tears. There were times he had hated the other boy because he was cruel._

" _Thank you…"_

 _Maro looked towards Ansei. "What?"_

" _Thank you, Maro," Ansei whispered._

" _For what?"_

" _For never giving up on Hyuuga Ansei."_

 _Maro turned away. He closed his eyes, but when he turned back to Ansei, his sockets now held bright white eyes and tears streamed down his cheeks. Ansei walked over to Maro and smiled at his "older brother." "I guess it's time, don't you think?" he asked. The two embraced for the first time in their long life. The image of Maro began to fade, but as it did, Ansei's duel colored hair began to change. The white part began to shine and take over the black. Ansei took a deep breath once Maro's form was gone. He ran his fingers through his now bright white hair and smiled. "We should get going."_

* * *

Naruto jogged towards his son and his team. "We have to move! Where's your sister?" he called. Boruto looked up at his father and bit his lip. Himawari was sitting next to her brother, trying to comfort him. Naruto shook his head. "Boruto," he whispered upon spotting Ansei's unmoving form. "Is he still alive?"

"Mitsuki is keeping his blood pumping, but that won't be enough," Sarada reported. Naruto clenched his fists. After all that, Ansei would still die. There was no hope for him now. Mitsuki turned to the Seventh Hokage and shook his head.

"We can save him." He said. Naruto's shoulders dropped.

 _They don't understand. He_ can't _be saved!_

 _That is not true…_

Naruto shook his head slowly. Half a Bijuu might not save the child, and even if it did, then what? "Curses," he muttered as he knelt beside Mitsuki. "Keep it up."

"What are you doing?" Boruto asked as he father performed handsigns.

"I'm saving your friend's life," Naruto muttered softly. Boruto's eyes widened as he father began drawing a seal on Ansei's chest.

"He is not worth your time." Naruto spun around to see Zetsu standing there with Akuryo by his side. Naruto stood slowly.

"Keep his blood moving," he said to Mitsuki. "Sarada, keep him alive for as long as you can." He turned to Zetsu and Akuryo. "You don't know who I am. It would be better for you if you stood down now."

"I don't need to know who you are to beat you," Akuryo snapped.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "No, you need to know who I am to know you _can't_ beat me," he hissed. "Stand down."

Boruto stood beside his father. "You save Ansei. I've got some unfinished business with this one."

Naruto turned to his son, then shook his head. "You are in _no_ condition to fight, Boruto!" he snapped.

"Well, I'm useless here. How much longer do you think he'll last?"

Naruto turned to Ansei. Their small window was closing fast. They were keeping Ansei in a state of artificial life, but soon his body would simply give out. They didn't have much time at all. If he went, he would lose Ansei, but he couldn't send Mitsuki or Sarada to go fight. Boruto didn't have the medical expertise to keep Ansei in the state he was in and Himawari wasn't strong enough for the fight. Naruto let out a loud exasperated sigh. They had no choice. "Fine," he snapped. "I'll be there as quickly as I can!" He turned back to Ansei and closed his eyes as he heard Akuryo laugh.

"Sending the cripple to fight?" he teased.

"It takes one to know one," Boruto growled and lunged.

* * *

Boruto was absolutely terrified, to be honest. The soldier pill that Sarada had given him had worn off not long ago, and the residual effects would not last much longer. He just had to stay alive until his father finished. He kicked out at Akuryo, who dodged expertly. The boy was blindfolded still, so Boruto assumed that he was still blind, or preferred the darkness to the light.

Boruto took off, away from his father and the others. Zetsu followed, but he didn't seem interested in helping his child in the fight. Boruto again didn't know if that was the man's way of saying he trusted Ansei or saying that he knew Boruto stood no chance. The man wouldn't risk losing the puzzle he had been putting together.

The boy stopped and turned to face his pursuer. "No one has ever felt my chakra and survived," Akuryo hissed. "You are lucky."

"Not entirely," Zetsu corrected. "The boy lost his right arm."

"Oh? Interesting."

Boruto narrowed his eyes. Now Akuryo knew his weak spot. "You still can't use ninjutsu, can you?" he snapped.

"That doesn't matter," Akuryo retorted. "I've survived more stuff in my short life than you could imagine! I don't need ninjutsu to beat the likes of you!" Boruto cursed softly and lunged at Akuryo, trying to keep as silent as possible, but sneaking up on a boy that had been born blind wasn't a strategy. Akuryo was an expert of finding enemies he couldn't see. He kicked Boruto square in the jaw and ran after him, jumping on him before he even managed to stop rolling. Boruto kicked Akuryo angrily, trying to avoid making contact with his deadly touch.

Akuryo grabbed Boruto's foot and twisted it. Boruto shouted and kicked again at his attacker repeatedly until Akuryo released his foot. Boruto scrambled out of the way and did several back flips. Getting into a hand to hand tussle with Akuryo was suicide. One touch was fatal.

"I can hear your breathing," Akuryo said softly. "You're frightened, aren't you?" Boruto took a step back. "Putting distance between you and I won't work, Boruto. I can hear your heart beat. It's irregular. A previous injury, perhaps?"

"My heart's fine!" Boruto lied.

"You're lying. I can feel your body shaking." Akuryo grinned. "Sight is troublesome, Boruto, it distracts from the important elements of a battle; instinct."

"Why are you telling me this?" Boruto asked.

"To distract you." Boruto blinked and looked down. The ground below him was falling away. He gasped and fell into the pit. He shook his head. Akuryo had been rotting the tree roots holding the ground above the cave so that it wouldn't hold his weight anymore. _Clever… but this isn't good._ He gathered his chakra into his feet but before he could jump, Akuryo fell on top of him. He gasped and rolled away angrily.

"What's wrong, coward? Not in a hurry to lose another limb, Boruto- _kun_ ," he teased. Boruto jumped to his feet and narrowed his eyes. It was dark in the cave and he knew Akuryo would drive him deeper into the abyss until they were on equal level.

"Why are you trying to blind me, if sight is so distracting," Boruto challenged, backing away as Akuryo advanced on him. One touch and he was dead. _How do I beat someone I can't touch?!_ Boruto thought.

Black chakra began surrounding Akuryo. He clenched his deadly fists and smirked. "You will die in the darkness I have lived in."

"I am far from the most powerful threat you will face here!"

"Zetsu will take care of your father," Akuryo countered. Boruto continued to back away, but as he did, it got darker around him. Akuryo's black chakra rose around him almost like a separate entity. "I will take care of you!" He pushed his hands forward and the chakra came like a wave, killing anything it touched. Boruto's eyes widened and he fled into the darkness.

* * *

 _Akuryo was owned by a farmer, but since he was blind, he could not do farm work. Taking pity on him, the owner of the farm allowed him to work inside the house, much to the others' disdain. He was stuck doing household chores; sweeping, cleaning dishes. Before he was three, he had the entire house's layout memorized. If something where to change, he had to be told, but he was always quick to recreate his mental map of the house. He was smart, but no one bothered to acknowledge the brilliance of a blind slave. No one cared. As long as he could clean the house, he was deemed worthy enough._

 _For the majority of his life, he was a perfect child, but when they realized his curse, they began to fear him. Instead of letting him roam freely, they made sure his whole body was covered, only allowing him to be undressed during beating. The old man was nice enough, but his son, when he took over, found no use to keep a little blind boy who could not touch anything that was alive. He stood at the end of the line with a buyer walking down it._

" _What about this one?"_

" _Twenty silver," a young man answered._

" _Can she cook?"_

" _Yessir, she can."_

" _I'll take her then."_

 _Akuryo turned away, though he couldn't see. He knew the girl. She was a little younger than he was, and though leaving this farm was good, she didn't want to be separated from her parents. Akuryo's parents had long since been sold, but even before that, they wanted nothing to do with their blind, defected child._

" _What about this one? Why's he all bandaged like that?"_

" _The brat's cursed," the man answered. "He's not worth much. You won't be able to turn a profit on him."_

" _He's rather handsome," the buyer commented. "Soft skin; must have worked in the house."_

" _Indeed he did. He's blind."_

" _Ah. I can see why you say he's worthless. Give him to me for free?"_

 _The man laughed without humor. "He's not that worthless. Good kitchen hands are hard to find."_

" _Can he fight?"_

" _He's blind," the man repeated._

" _What's his curse do?"_

" _Seems to have some sort of rotten chakra. He kills whatever he touches."_

" _Can it be controlled?"_

" _I doubt it, and even if it could, he wouldn't."_

" _I'll take him for a copper piece. I'm sure I can find a buyer for him in town."_

 _Akuryo clenched his fists. He was treated like cattle! They were talking about him as if wasn't there! "Can you speak, boy?" Akuryo refused to speak._

" _Speak!" the man growled, but Akuryo refused. He felt the whip rip through his worn shirt. "I told you to speak!"_

" _A defiant one, is he? Can he speak?"_

 _The whip came again, and again, until his shirt was bloodied and he was on his knees. Tears welled up in his useless eyes. "Can you speak, boy?" the buyer asked again._

" _Yessir," Akuryo growled through clenched teeth. He hated them, but mostly, he didn't understand. Why did some people get whipped and some people held the whip? What decided which end you belonged on? He was blind and had never been able to see a difference._

" _I'll take him, then," the buyer said with a laugh, nudging Akuryo with his foot. He heard the familiar exchange of money and was forced to his feet. "I know some samurai that would love to break his defiant spirit."_

" _Well, good luck with him, but don't expect much. The brat's worthless."_

" _Maybe…"_

 _Akuryo was led away from the only home he had ever known and the only people he had ever been around. The smells became different and his feet hit unfamiliar terrain. His flesh was cut on stones as they walked, but they never stopped. Akuryo clenched his fists._ One day, _he thought bitterly,_ I will be the one holding the whip…

* * *

Boruto stopped running when he realized he didn't know where he was. He backed away until his back was against a wall and he reached desperately for a branch or a rock. Having come here directly from the hospital, he had no weapons. He was merely there to distract, but his father was taking too long.

He tried to focus his chakra on his eyes to activate his Byakugan, but he didn't even know how. He had done it out of rage and right now he felt no rage, just fear. He tried to keep his breathing deep and quiet, but fear seemed to be choking him. He felt like he was being hunted and his enemy was silent. Akuryo was used to fighting in total darkness. Boruto's hand wrapped around a rock and he tried to listen for Akuryo, but the boy made no sound.

 _If I make a Shadow Clone, I'll give away my location,_ Boruto thought. _But one lighting strike and I can memorize the cavern layout. Is it worth the risk?_ He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing mind. Akuryo was hunting him in the darkness, but he couldn't hear the boy. _I don't have much choice, but I'll only have a second before he's on me._

Boruto gathered his chakra and exhaled silently. He extended two fingers vertically and placed them against the tip of his nose. He took a deep breath and released the chakra. A shadow clone appeared and Boruto quickly performed the handsigns with it to create a lighting strike. The sparks flew and he threw the bolt like a spear. He gasped. Akuryo was running towards him, his hands wrapped around his now manifested black chakra. Boruto took in the details before his light faded. The exit was to his left, the top was about 10 feet above them, there were several boulders near the edge, but the center was clear.

Boruto ran towards the boulders, narrowly avoiding Akuryo's strike. He tried to run as silently as possible, but in his haste, the movements he made echoed. He jumped onto the boulder to get the high ground and waited for his attacker.

"Too late," Akuryo hissed from behind Boruto. The Uzumaki gasped, but had no time to react before Akuryo grabbed his throat. "Game over."

* * *

" _Ansei!"_

 _The boy stopped. He thought he was alone in this realm, but something had been keeping him there. He figured it was their attempts to keep him in this twilight state, not quite dead but also not quite alive. He was on his way out finally when he heard the voice call his name. He turned. "Naruto-sensei…?" he asked, then shook his head. This wasn't his sensei. "Boruto's father, then."_

 _Naruto nodded and stopped before the boy. "So, you're the one causing all these problems, hm?" he teased. He looked over Ansei and nodded. "You look like your mother… Except that hair. That is definitely Kabuto's."_

 _Ansei turned away. "Why are you here?"_

" _Saving your life," Naruto said. Ansei blinked. "Yeah, it's a bit complicated…"_

 _Ansei turned away. He had found peace in death, and now he was supposed to go back to the living? "I don't belong there."_

" _Come on," Naruto said. "There's no reason for you to talk like that. No one belongs in death." Ansei bowed his head, but even he couldn't stop a soft smile from forming on his face._

" _How does this work?"_

 _Naruto lifted his own shirt and twisted the seal. Chakra flew out of him and Kurama formed behind him. Ansei took a step back, but Naruto just smiled. "He won't hurt you. Will you, Kurama?"_

 _The fox grunted._

" _Kurama?" Ansei asked. Naruto nodded and smiled._

 _Kurama put his palms together and split into two, slightly smaller beasts. One was a darker shade. Naruto pointed to the bright orange one. "You, in him, I'll take the other one."_

" _What?!" the lighter one snapped. "Kit, that is not advisable!"_

" _You need to help him, Kurama," Naruto reasoned. "Be his mentor."_

" _A Bijuu is not its Jinchuuriki's mentor!" the darker one snapped._

" _Well, he's going to need your guidance, Kurama," Naruto said. "He's going to need you to be his voice of reason."_

 _The lighter one sighed deeply. "Very well," he said. Naruto motioned Ansei to lift his shirt._

" _It's only half of a Kyuubi," Naruto explained. "But I can't imagine that being an issue for you." Naruto sealed the two beasts where they belonged and smiled at Ansei. He held out his hand and Ansei took it without hesitating. "Alright kid, welcome to the family."_

When Ansei became aware of his surroundings again, he was still blind, but he heard Mitsuki and Sarada back away. Himawari giggled softly. Ansei sat up slowly. The hole in his chest was already healing with the fox's chakra. _Kurama…?_ He asked, using the beast's name.

 _I've a lot to show you, pup,_ Kurama said.

 _Family…? Did he mean that?_

 _Of course he did,_ Kurama assured his new vessel. Ansei smiled, almost giddy. He did a few hand signs and the ground underneath him burst into white flames.

* * *

Boruto's whole world was pain. He could feel the deadly chakra reaching into his throat, trying to destroy his windpipe. Blood trickled from his mouth as he struggled feebly against his captor. He kicked at Akuryo, but the boy was so used to pain that nothing Boruto did fazed him.

Just as soon as the assault started, it ended. Boruto was shoved off of the boulder. His eyes widened as he looked up at his savor. Mitsuki and Sarada knelt beside him to heal the damage as Sakura had taught him. They had gotten there fast enough so that the damage was revisable, but Boruto hardly noticed it.

Ansei stood on the boulder where Boruto had been, holding Akuryo's wrist tightly. White flames surrounded the reborn Jinchuuriki, giving him the illusion of wings. Boruto smiled.

"Don't _ever_ hurt my family again!"

 _Author's note: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here is my present to you all! I liked this chapter a LOT better than last week's! I hope you did too! I might have lied about this story making it to chapter 30…_


	28. Only Birds Were Meant to Fly

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Only Birds Were Meant to Fly

" _Why are you always sitting here? You can't see, silly!"_

 _Akuryo turned to the voice and smiled softly. He had always been told he had a cute smile, but he reserved it for one person, and that was the girl coming to sit beside him. He had only been with the samurai for a little less than a year at that point, but he had grown to fancy the young cooking girl they kept with them. He had heard the samurai talk about her like she was beautiful, but he didn't know firsthand._

 _He turned back towards the sea breeze. They were sitting on a cliff. "What do you think is on the other side of the ocean?" he asked quietly._

" _I don't know… Nothing, probably…"_

" _At the farmer's house, some of the slaves talked about the land across the water," Akuryo muttered. "They said that all people are free there."_

 _The girl let out a soft giggle. "That's a nice dream, Akuryo, but not a realistic one. Even if that place existed, you and I will never get there."_

" _I know… But I'd like to go there one day, and not be trapped here," he whispered, pulling his knees to his chest. She patted his shoulder and he gasped, spinning towards her. "D-don't touch me!" he snapped. No one touched him gently. The samurai often touched his body, since only his hands were the lethal, but he didn't let anyone touch him if he could help it._

 _But he wouldn't mind_ her _touching him like they did, but he was also afraid of hurting her. He had never killed a person with his curse before, but he had killed animals with it before. The smell of rotting flesh always made him sick. He hated his mutated chakra._

" _Sorry, Aku…" the girl whispered sheepishly. "Does it hurt you when you use it?"_

" _No," he lied. In truth, it was agonizing. He lived in constant pain, but he healed faster than his chakra could kill him._

" _Why don't you use it to kill them?" He turned away, closing his dull eyes. "I hear you screaming. They hurt you, don't they?"_

" _I can deal," Akuryo muttered. His whole life he had been used one way or the other._

" _We shouldn't have to deal!" the girl groaned. He understood her annoyance, but what could they do? Their families had been owned for centuries. No one was going to come and save them, and if they escaped, they would have nowhere to go._

" _I want to learn to fight," he told her finally._

" _I'll convince them to teach you how," she promised. He smiled again. As long as she was there, he could handle it._

* * *

"Family?!" Akuryo laughed, throwing Ansei back. "You come back from the dead and all you care about is family?! Spare me you sentiments, Ansei!"

Boruto looked up as Ansei landed beside them in a squat. He hadn't known Akuryo long, but through ever interaction they had, even when Akuryo was beating Boruto, the younger boy had been the picture of calm. This was not the same boy he had been a few days ago. Boruto stood, rubbing his newly healed flesh. "Stay down," Ansei snapped.

"As if."

Sarada and Mitsuki also stood. Ansei did handsigns and the room lit up in brilliant white light, illuminating the battle field for those who needed to see. Akuryo laughed with an almost unsettling, manic tone. "You're all sickening!" he shouted.

"He has no ninjutsu," Ansei explained.

"Yeah, but he's got some wicked chakra," Boruto countered, "and it's gotten worse."

"Nothing we can't handle," Sarada said.

"We can't touch him," Mitsuki said as he put gloves on. Boruto opened his mouth to give them the strategy, but he didn't have time before he was sent flying back. He focused chakra on his feet and stuck to the wall, cracking it as he landed. He watched as Mitsuki sent Akuryo back with a powerful punch and Sarada threw a fireball at the Jinchuuriki.

Boruto shook his head and tried to analyze his team's strengths, but he didn't know what else Akuryo could do as a ten-tailed Jinchuuriki. The rules here were different, anyway. He clenched his fist and created a shadow clone. Together they created the needed handsigns for a lighting attack. A spear made of electricity formed in his hand and he threw it at Akuryo.

Akuryo deflected the attack expertly, but Mitsuki had picked up on what he had to do. The boy stretched his Foot in order to kick Akuryo towards the wayward attack. Ansei was quick to grab the child, performing a series of jabs to his body. Boruto shook his head. The poor kid didn't stand a chance against four highly trained ninja without ninjutsu. This wouldn't last much longer at this rate.

* * *

Naruto stopped himself from flying backwards by landed expertly on a tree trunk. He hadn't yet gone into Bijuu mode. "You've the skills," Zetsu complimented. "But do you have the will to win this?"

Naruto smirked. "You don't know who I am," he snapped.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Zetsu answered. Naruto was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head. Of course this Zetsu would know a version of him from this world. "But, I can tell you are not the Uzumaki Naruto of _this_ world. Interesting, and quite annoying that the siblings would choose to hide one soul in another realm."

Naruto shrugged. "It's not exactly what I would have done, but if it keeps Kaguya out of _any_ world, then it works for me."

Zetsu narrowed his eyes. "You know nothing, insolent child!"

"I know enough!" Naruto retorted. "Whatever your plans are in this world, they will not help anyone but _you!"_

"Is that what you think?" Zetsu asked, shaking his head. "Your ignorance will be your downfall." He threw his hand forward and tree trunks flew towards Naruto, who moved like lightning to avoid the attack.

"You know," Naruto called as he made his own attack. "I liked you better when you were passive!" It was true that he wasn't used to fighting Black Zetsu. His version had been slightly more passive, preferring to keep himself in the shadows.

"Deepest apologies!" Zetsu shouted. He spun around in time to receive a solid Rasengan in his chest. He was thrown back, crashing through several trees before coming to a stop against a thick trunk. He growled and ran towards Naruto, grabbing his cloak and throwing him back. Naruto twisted in the air like a cat and pushed off another tree, lunging himself back at Zetsu.

The two clashed and Zetsu met Naruto's punches and kicks blow-for-blow. Naruto was forced to pull out and create several shadow clones in hopes to gain the upper hand on Zetsu, but the creature still met Naruto's attacks with perfection. Zetsu landed a hard punch on Naruto, sending him flying back. Naruto cursed under his breath.

"You are going to beat me, if I remember correctly," Zetsu teased. "Unless you've given up, Uzumaki Naruto. This isn't your world! Go back to your own!"

"I won't leave this world in your hands," Naruto snapped, wiping his mouth of the blood that came.

"Why is that so bad?!" Zetsu shouted angrily. "Why does it matter to you?!"

"Because it matters to my son," Naruto answered evenly. He could tell that the man was getting agitated. He probably wasn't used to having to fight for his kills.

"If you leave now, you can leave with your son alive," Zetsu threatened.

"Don't touch my son," Naruto growled dangerously.

"I don't have to. No one can withstand Akuryo for long," Zetsu said with a shrug. "The boy is simply on another level than any human I've ever met."

"You've never met me," Naruto snapped.

Zetsu smirked. "Even without the ten tailed beast within him, Akuryo was an unstoppable force of nature."

"What did you do to that boy?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing. I didn't corrupt this child! Don't you understand the pain of this world?! If god's sense of humor is so twisted that a creature like Akuryo can be created, why should the world continue? Akuryo is an abomination. Every moment of his life is used to counteract the chakra that is eating away at his own flesh! Every moment he lives in constant agony!" Zetsu laughed and shook his head. "Why should a world where something like _that_ is allowed be allowed to continue to create more?"

Naruto blinked. The child lived in agony? _No wonder he's such a wreck…_

 _Now is not the time to get sentimental, brat!_

Naruto sighed. _I liked the other half better,_ he thought and shook his head. It didn't matter now.

"Is there no cure for it?" he asked.

"If there was, I wouldn't have used it anyway," Zetsu answered. "There's no turning back for that child!"

Naruto shook his head and charged at Zetsu. He didn't believe that there was no hope. There was _always_ hope. No one was beyond help. Naruto slammed into Zetsu and grabbed his arm, stopping his from performing any jutsu. "I've had just about enough of you."

"Same," Zetsu retorted. "You can't stop the end of the world, Naruto! You had better get going back to your own while you still can." Zetsu kicked out at Naruto, but he held fast. Eventually the man gave up. "You are quite persistent. What are you going to do now? Kill me?"

"I could bring you back to my world," Naruto said. "Or remove a Bijuu from _this_ world."

"And destroy the balance in your own?" Zetsu teased. "Not a great plan."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but gasped as Zetsu moved, fast as lighting, for an attack. It wasn't an attack on Naruto, though, but himself. He took a kunai and sliced through his own black flesh, severing the arm that Naruto was holding onto. Naruto gasped and backed away, discarding the limb with a disgusted toss. The limb was already beginning to regenerate itself.

"You see, Naruto, even with your powers, you can never beat me."

Naruto threw his hands together. "Want to bet on that?" he asked as thousands of clones appeared in the area.

"Oh? Well, hasn't this gotten interesting?"

* * *

 _Akuryo was alone, staring sightlessly out at the sea. It was a different cliff on the same island, but it still meant more to him than anything the samurai could give him. He closed his useless eyes and clenched his fists. He hated them with every fiber of his being. He had scars across his body from their abuse. They had taught him to fight, but without the ability to mold his chakra, even his taijutsu suffered. He was a completely useless piece of equipment._

 _The only thing they didn't blemish was his face. He had heard from them that he had a beautiful face. They never had seen him smile, but_ she _had told him he had the kindest smile. He only smiled for her. They had been with the group the longest and he loved her like a sister. They had discussed the idea of running, but they had nowhere to go. No one would take them in. They were branded and would be quickly returned to their owners._

" _There you are," she said, coming to sit beside him. "They're looking for you. It's getting dark."_

" _Were they worried?" he asked. They purposely didn't let him walk when they moved. He couldn't navigate the dangerous terrain on his own, so fleeing was out of the question._

" _Not really. They just don't like it when you don't eat." She gently placed a biscuit in his hands. He rotted food so she had made sure to wrap it before giving it to him. When he was alone, he liked to take off his thick gloves so his hands could feel the breeze. He took a bite of the hard biscuit and scowled. "I know… it's not very good."_

" _N-no! That's not what I meant!" Akuryo gasped quickly. He didn't want her to think he didn't like her cooking._

 _She giggled. He wondered if her smile was beautiful too. "Don't worry about it, Aku," she teased. "I didn't really care today."_

" _Is the sunset pretty?" Akuryo asked. He always asked that. He never cared that he was blind, but so many days of his life he had sat on a cliff or tree to feel the sunset. She would often try to describe it to him, but the descriptions always meant nothing to him._

" _It's beautiful," she answered quietly. "The sky looks like it's on fire and the sun is a really pretty, bright orange with hints of purple."_

 _He smiled softly. Her words meant nothing, but to him, they were everything. He sighed. They stayed in silence until the heat from the sun receded, signaling the end of the day. "We should get back," she said and stood up. He went to stand beside her but gasped as the ground beneath him gave way._

 _He let out a loud scream and grabbed a rock, holding on for dear life. He feet flayed beneath him as he tried to find a foothold, but without chakra control, he couldn't get a hold. He realized then that he didn't want to die. He bit his lip. "Aku!" the girl shouted. He lifted his head towards her voice. "Give me your hand!"_

" _I-I can't!" Akuryo shouted. "I can't touch you!"_

" _It's okay!" she called. "I still have my cooking gloves on!"_

 _Akuryo shook his head. Of course she would. She always forgot to take off her gloves. He reached with one hand and groped for hers. She grabbed his and in that moment, he realized his mistake. Flesh touched flesh. He tried to yank his bare hand away from hers, but she held onto him tightly. His chakra seeped into her hand and all he could do was wait for her to pull him up. She grabbed his other hand when she could and pulled him over the edge._

 _Without the sea breeze, he could smell the rotting flesh. He ran to her side. "Y-you lied to me!" he gasped. "We can stop it! We need a medic immediately!" He took the covering for the biscuit and grabbed her arm, separating their flesh._

" _It's okay, Aku," she whispered calmly._

" _It know it is!" Akuryo snapped. "All we need is a medic! The chakra hasn't done permanent damage yet!" He dragged her away from the cliff and towards the encampment. "Help!" he shouted as he stopped before their fire. "There's been an accident!" She was taken from him and he bit his lip, trying to block the tears as the samurai looked over their cooking slave._

 _He listened as they discussed what to do. He listened while they talked about how long it would take for her to recover… how much time they would waste for a child that they had long since gotten their money's worth out of._

" _Cooks are easy to come by."_

" _And cheap…"_

 _His listened as they decided her life wasn't worth the time it would take to save it. He listened as they, without telling her their decision, took her out of camp and disposed of their property._

 _He never got to say good-bye to her. He didn't doubt that they did it quickly and without hurting her. He did doubt, however, that they gave her a proper burial. More likely, they threw their trash in the ocean._

" _Strip."_

 _Akuryo shook his head. It was the next day. "What?"_

" _You know what to do, child! Now do it!"_

 _Akuryo blinked. What did any of this matter? Was he worth the few copper coins they had paid for him? "Would you have saved me?"_

" _What are you talking about?" the man snapped. "You don't get to talk!"_

" _Am I worth the price you paid for me?" he asked. Was his life really worth a couple of coins? That was all thy paid for him. Surely they paid more for her. He heard the familiar sound of the whip and he instinctively recoiled._

" _You haven't outlived your usefulness."_

 _Akuryo removed his shirt like he had done time and time again. He clenched his gloved fists. Two coins. That was it. That was the price they paid for a living, breathing, thinking child. A child they cared nothing about as long as the child did as he was told. He was the only slave left in the camp now. There would be more. There was always more._

 _He removed his shorts._

 _How much were the samurai worth? They got paid for their duties, but surely their lives meant something else. What determined how much you were worth? The whip came down on his bare back, but he hardly felt the tearing of his flesh. He narrowed his eyes._

" _I said on the ground!"_

 _Akuryo did as he was told, kneeling on the ground. As the samurai poised himself, Akuryo, quick as a viper, spun and grabbed the man's throat with his now bare hands. For his entire life he had tried to suppress his chakra. He had never tried to hurt anyone. "How much are you worth?" he hissed as he pumped his rotten chakra into the man. "How much?!" he shouted. The smell of rotting flesh reached his nose, but he didn't care. He tossed the man to the ground and listened as his throat collapsed and he gasped for air._

 _It took a few more minutes before everything was quiet in the tent. Akuryo blinked. He expected the man to get up and take the whip, but nothing moved in the tent. It took him a few more minutes to realize that there was no one else alive in the tent. A manic smile formed on his lips and he laughed. That was it?! That was their extent of their worth! It took nothing for him to prove he was worth more!_

 _He reached over to the dead man and pulled the whip from his hand. He laughed again. Today he would be holding the whip! He stepped out of the tent and cracked the weapon of his torture. "Today_ I _decide how you die!" Akuryo shouted._

* * *

Akuryo pulled away from Mitsuki's attack and swiped at him with a kunai. Boruto replaced his friend in the attack. Akuryo was holding his own against the ninja, but it was obvious he was losing footing. Boruto aimed a solid punch to the boy and he was sent flying. Akuryo slammed into the wall with a groan. Without ninjutsu and limited taijutsu, this was a one sided fight, especially since Akuryo wasn't used to people knowing how to avoid getting injured by him.

"Have you had enough?" Boruto asked.

Akuryo stood up and shook his head. "Never," he hissed. His whole body suddenly became engulfed in a black smoke-like chakra. Boruto's eyes widened as the chakra manifested into two long tendrils for his hands. "I won't be put down again!" He thrust the chakra like whips and Boruto jumped back to avoid the new attack pattern. The boy's speed increased. He lunged at Boruto and kicked at him. Boruto grabbed Akuryo's foot and hurled him where Ansei was waiting to slam him on the ground. Akuryo swung the new chakra whips at Ansei, wrapping one around his wrist. Ansei howled, but as Boruto ran to aid him, he noticed that Ansei's chakra was already healing the wound.

Akuryo shouted bitterly and ran towards Sarada, who sidestepped him quickly. Boruto watched him as he ran for Mitsuki next. His attacks were sporadic and angry. Even with the Rinnegan, the boy had no idea what to do with it. He had nothing up his arsenal. Sight meant nothing to a blind person.

Boruto ran to Ansei. "Hey… Keep him busy, will you?" he asked.

"What are you doing? We have to get out of here! He'll drown us in that chakra!"

"No, he won't! He didn't know how!" Boruto reasoned. "He's never fought with chakra, has he?"

Ansei thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "He has no talent in Ninjutsu," he said. "His chakra will kill him if he tries it."

"Then he doesn't know _what_ he can do!"

Ansei nodded slowly. "I… think I understand what you're getting at." He ran towards Akuryo and began engaging in a taijutsu fight with him. Boruto ran to Sarada.

"You want me to do what?" she snapped after he explained the plan.

"It'll work, I swear! Just don't move!"

"I don't have healing like Ansei! The only reason we haven't won this is because we can't engage in close range with him long enough!" Boruto shook his head and Sarada sighed. "Fine… I trust you, Boruto! Don't make me regret that!"

"I won't!"

Sarada nodded and ran towards the fight. "Hey, little brat!" she called. Akuryo spun towards her, growling. She activated her Sharingan and Boruto nodded.

 _Perfect._

As he ran towards her, Mitsuki jumped behind him and reached for the blindfold. He yanked the cloth off and Akuryo screamed, his sense suddenly assaulted by the blinding light that his brain wasn't used to. Before he could covered his eyes, he locked eyes with Sarada and froze. Boruto let out a long sigh of relief.

Akuryo remained frozen for several seconds before collapsing.

Boruto ran to his friends and smiled. "Well… That went well enough," he muttered.

"The question is… What do we do with him now?" Mitsuki asked quietly. "Surely we can't just let him go."

"Maybe if we take him back, your mom can cure him of that deadly chakra," Boruto suggested to Sarada, who shrugged.

"My parent would be very interested in him," Mitsuki said. "His chakra is potent."

Before they could come to a conclusion, Akuryo screamed and jumped to his feet, his rotten chakra blazing. Sarada gasped and Boruto stood in front of his two friends as the chakra expanded. Any living thing it touched died almost instantly. They backed away from the boy. Ansei leapt in front of them, covering them with a white shield.

Boruto dared to peek passed Ansei. He blinked. Akuryo suddenly gasped and fell to his knees. Just as quickly as it had begun, the second assault ended. They boy was left on his knees, gasping for air with blood pouring from his mouth. "What's happening?" Boruto asked.

Mitsuki sighed and shook his head. "He's done…"

 _Author's note: Okay, so, maybe next chapter will be last chapter… Maybe… I think I can get it to chapter 30! I hope I can! This has been an amazing story to write! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Can't wait to give you the finale!_

 _I already have the first chapter of my next story written! It's not connected to this one, don't worry!_


	29. You Just Might Get It

_Author's Note: I did it! I finished a story!_

 _Chapter Twenty-Nine: You Just Might Get It…_

"Done?" Boruto asked, staring at the child as he gasped for air. Mitsuki nodded.

"His chakra was toxic not only to the people he touched, but to his own body…" Akuryo grabbed his chest and vomited blood. "He's being destroyed from the inside out."

Boruto bowed his head. He knew he shouldn't feel anything for the child that had caused them so much pain. He heard the sound of a kunai being drawn. Boruto turned back to Mitsuki. "What are you doing?"

"Who knows how long it will take him to die," Mitsuki whispered. "It would be better if we ended this now." He started towards the child. Already Akuryo had collapsed on the floor, trying desperately to breathe. Boruto bit his lip and shook his head. It would be a mercy.

"W-wait!" Akuryo gasped, holding a hand up. Mitsuki stopped and cocked his head. "I… want to see the sunset," he whimpered.

Boruto blinked. The sunset? Would he survive that long? "Give me one good reason why I should offer you a dying wish," Mitsuki hissed. Akuryo narrowed his eyes at Mitsuki in defiance. He struggled to his feet and took a step towards Orochimaru's son. That seemed to satisfy Mitsuki, because he put away his kunai.

Boruto stepped forward, but Akuryo denied his help. The walk out of the cave was painfully slow, but every time he stumbled or fell, Akuryo refused Boruto's outstretched hand. When they reached the hole they had come down, Akuryo covered his eyes, unable to comprehend the light. Boruto lifted the child in his arms and jumped out of the hole. His father and Zetsu were nowhere to be found, but he supposed that was a good thing.

Neither Boruto nor Akuryo spoke as Boruto carried him through the trees. He took the child to a cliff side and laid him down. "Why are you helping me?" Akuryo snapped. Boruto shrugged even though Akuryo was still covering his eyes.

"You're harmless now," he muttered. He sat down and listened to Akuryo's labored breathing for a while as the day grew old. After a while, he turned to the boy. His breathing had nearly stopped. Boruto shook him and helped him up. "You should look now…"

Akuryo opened his eyes and gasped. He shielding them from the orange glow of the late day sun. They were overlooking the forest, with its scars and its beauty all in view. Akuryo bit his lip. "The sunset is pretty…" Akuryo whispered. Boruto didn't speak. For a moment he thought he saw a smile on the child's face and he was viewing the person the kid could have been had he not gotten mixed up in all this.

Boruto frowned and turned back to the sunset. What could have been done to prevent it? And prevent Ansei's hellish life? "Is that orange?"

Boruto jumped and turned back to Akuryo. He was pointing at the sun. Boruto's shoulders dropped. "Yeah," he whispered. He pointed to the trees. "That's green," he said, and then to his hair. "This is yellow."

Akuryo laughed softly and shook his head. "The world is beautiful, isn't it?" he asked innocently. Boruto nodded slowly. The two remained silent as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Boruto turned to Akuryo to ask him if he wanted to go anywhere else, but the boy was already dead.

Boruto took the body and laid it peacefully on the ledge before removing Ansei's eyes. He bowed his head and sent up a small prayer for the child's spirit before heading back down the mountain.

* * *

 _Akuryo opened his eyes and found himself on the edge of the world. Tears were soaking his face as he traveled through the vastness of death. Of course no one would be there. He had no family or friends. He had only killed. He laughed silently at himself. What was he expecting? He didn't even know who his father was and his mother had wanted nothing to do with him after she realized she had given birth to a blind child._

" _Akuryo?"_

 _The boy gasped and lifted his head to see a girl standing there. He blinked. She was young, but older than he was. Her skin was darker like his own and her hair was white. Her voice was familiar._

" _I was hoping I wouldn't see you for a while…" she whispered. Akuryo walked to her and bowed his head. She hugged him tightly. "Come on… Let's go home, kid."_

* * *

"And Zetsu?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I wouldn't count him out just yet," he muttered. They were back at the village. Boruto was sitting in the corner while Sarada and Mitsuki were standing with Naruto, trying to explain the events. Ansei had been arrested the moment he stepped foot back in the village. "But he can't do anything until the Bijuu reappear," Naruto finished. "You'll have time to prepare for it."

"Thank you," Hanabi said. She stood. "I assume you all will be going back."

Naruto nodded.

"What about Ansei?" Boruto asked.

"He will face trial here, and then face the consequences of his actions."

Boruto stood. "He already has," he argued.

"Boruto," Naruto cautioned.

"Dad," Boruto answered. He turned back to Hanabi. "With all due respect, ma'am, he's suffered enough."

"And he's caused enough suffering," Hanabi retorted. "He can't just avoid the consequences of what he had done in our world."

"He's changed!"

"Then he knows that he must pay for what he has done," Hanabi snapped. "Ansei will remain here!"

Boruto clenched his fists. He hadn't come _this_ far and lost an arm just to trip at the finish line. "Ansei will rot in prison!"

"Yes he will," Hanabi said. "But at least he will be where we can keep an eye on him!"

"Mom…"

Hanabi looked passed the people in her office to the door. Her son stood awkwardly in the doorway, leaning on the frame. "Why are you here?"

"Aunt Hinata and Uncle Kabuto are here," the boy whispered.

Hanabi bowed her head. "Send them in…"

Ningyo nodded and called down the hall. After a moment Hinata and Kabuto stepped into the room, both wearing black and white robes. Hinata and Naruto stared at each other for a moment and Boruto shrank back from them.

Hinata shook her head and turned to her sister. "Hanabi… I want what's best for my son."

"I have to do what's best for the village."

"Tell them he died," Kabuto suggested. "He killed himself during capture."

Hanabi looked at everyone gathered. "Ningyo?" she asked.

"I want him to be happy," the crippled child said quietly.

Hanabi closed her eyes. "Very well. Ansei's punishment will be to never step foot in this village again."

* * *

Ansei looked up as he was brought to the office. He stopped when he saw his parents. Tears welled in the boy's eyes as he ran to his mother and embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry, mom," he whispered, holding her for dear life.

"No…" Hinata whispered back. "I'm sorry, Ansei. You deserved so much more than what we gave you."

Ansei shook his head. "I love you."

Hinata hugged her son tighter. Ansei felt her body shake with sobs. He would never see them again. Their family had been broken since he was just a baby, but he had always at least been able to know how they were doing. After today, he would never see them again. Ansei pulled away from his mother and turned to his father.

Kabuto stared at his son and smiled. "You'll be fine, son," he assured the boy.

"Yeah," Ansei whispered. "Maybe… I'll find you over there."

Kabuto smiled wide and pulled his son into a hug. "Don't give them hell, kid," he said.

"I won't." He hugged Kabuto back. "Thank you, dad."

Kabuto patted the boy on the shoulder and nodded. Ansei looked at his parents one last time before walking into the office where the others were waiting to take him to his new home. Ningyo stood in the room as well. Ansei walked to him and smiled sadly.

"Take care of yourself, my little doll," he whispered.

"You too," Ningyo said.

Ansei sighed and turned to Boruto. No one spoke as the portal opened and the team departed.

* * *

Boruto sat on the roof of his home, staring out at the night sky. Ansei was getting settled downstairs and soon they would have to decide what to do with him. Boruto looked up at the moon. Akuryo weighed heavily on his heart.

"I thought I'd find you up here…"

Boruto turned to his father and frowned. "Evening, dad. How's Ansei?"

"Your mom's cooking him some ramen."

"No meat?" Naruto shook his head. "That's good." Boruto turned back to the sky. "Is that what it was like when you were young?"

Naruto sat beside Boruto. "Yeah, something like that…" he muttered. "Boruto, I know we've had a rocky relationship-"

"I understand," Boruto cut him off. "I didn't when I was young, but I do now. You didn't want me to experience a world like that." Naruto nodded. "You wanted Himawari and I to be happy and to never see stuff like that, but there _are_ people out there like that still," Boruto said quietly. He turned to his father. "I want to help them."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"This world has enough warriors, dad… I don't want to be an instrument for war. I want to travel the world and help people like Akuryo and Ansei. No one deserves that."

"And where will you go?"

"I thought about studying with Kabuto at the orphanage," Boruto suggested. Naruto was silent for a moment and at first Boruto thought that his father must be angry with his choice. Surely Naruto would want his son to continue being a ninja. Boruto was proposing to move out of the village.

"We'll have to fix your arm," Naruto said finally.

Boruto shook his head. "No," he said.

Naruto cocked his head. "Why not?"

"Because with only one arm, I can't do ninjutsu," Boruto explained. "If I'm to be a man of peace, then I want them to be able to see me for what I am."

"You won't be able to do medical ninjutsu either," Naruto argued.

Boruto smiled. "Then I guess I'm going to have to work with someone, won't I?"

Naruto smiled widely and put his arm over his son's shoulder. "Alright," he said. "I'll contact Kabuto tomorrow."

"What about Ansei?" Boruto asked. "What will happen to him?"

It was Naruto's turn to look at the sky. "Ansei will travel with Sasuke," he answered. "Sasuke can teach him how to use the Rinnegan, and how to control the fox… and to let go of his past. He's already agreed. He'll leave in the morning."

Boruto bowed his head. It made sense. He smiled sadly. "I'm glad," he whispered.

 _Two Years Later_

Ansei kept his head down as he and Sasuke walked side-by-side. They were on their way to Konoha, but they had a single stop to make first. Ansei and Sasuke had formed a strong bond with one another since they started traveling together. Sasuke had been surprised at how powerful Ansei was and while his Rinnegan, which was Byakugan based, worked differently than Sasuke's, he had progressed at a fest rate.

The two had no need to speak to each other. Ansei wore a long traveler's cloak that was a cream color. His long, duel-colored hair was braided and moved slightly with his own movements. Ansei kept his head down, as he usually did when they walked. He still saw himself as someone not worthy of any respect or peace. Sasuke would tell him that that was going to be the biggest obstacle he would overcome in his life. Ansei believed it. Nothing could ever truly erase the pain he had been dealt and the pain he had caused. Even hearing his master's story didn't make Ansei feel any better about himself.

"Master?"

Sasuke stopped. "What is it, Ansei?" he asked sternly. Their bond might have been strong, but that didn't mean they broke the conventions of their positions.

"Why do you travel?" he asked. "We haven't stepped foot in the village in two years."

Sasuke sighed. "I do think about my family, but you and I have a lot to make up for in our short lives."

Ansei nodded. "Do you ever miss home?"

Sasuke nodded carefully. "It's fine to miss your world, Ansei, but you must remember that you live here now."

"I know," Ansei muttered. It was a tired conversation. Sasuke wasn't going to hold his hand through his journey to redeem himself. The two started walking again. "Where are we going?"

"I got a message from Naruto the other day. We're running an errand for him. It won't take long."

"I'm not in any hurry," Ansei muttered.

Sasuke laughed slightly and they continued in silence until they came across a small village. Sasuke led Ansei into the dirt streets. They were in unclaimed territory, belonging to no Ninja Nation. "What is this place?"

"It's an unnamed village," Sasuke explained. "Naruto wanted us to check something out here before we came back."

"But we're not in the Land of Fire. Why would he care about a poor village outside his territory?" It wasn't that Ansei didn't care, he just didn't fully understand.

"Look around."

Ansei did as he was told. It was small village, but he began to notice that all the buildings in the village were new. He blinked. Most of the people walking through the village were children, and the only adults didn't seem to be from this village. "What is this place?" Ansei repeated. Sasuke shook his head.

A young girl ran passed them, holding a small dog in her arms. The animal squirmed as she ran.

"Master Boruto!" she called happily. "Master Boruto, I did it!"

Ansei's heart skipped a beat. He stopped in the street at the girl stopped at a small house. The door opened and out stepped a blonde man with one arm. He was wearing normal farmer's clothes and he had grown his hair out, but he was the same boy that had dared to care about the hated Jinchuuriki. Ansei swallowed.

"Boruto couldn't do medical ninjutsu," Sasuke explained. "He gathered medical ninja from all over the world and created this village."

"Why?" Ansei asked.

"Displaced children of war, runaways, orphans, of kids just looking for a different life," Sasuke answered. "He'll take just about anyone here."

"He did this all in two years?" Ansei asked.

"He had help. Yamato helped him build most of the buildings here. Here, these kids will have a place to live where they won't feel like they're in an orphanage."

Boruto finally noticed his visitors. He patted the girl on the head and hurried to Sasuke and Ansei. He stopped in front of the Jinchuuriki and smiled. "Look at you… all grown up," he breathed. "How are you?"

"Good," Ansei answered sheepishly. "It looks like you've really done something here, Boruto. I'm shocked.

Boruto blushed. "Y-yeah." He turned to Sasuke. "Did dad send you?"

"Of course he did," Sasuke said. "But he didn't want Ansei to see if until it was ready."

Boruto brightened. He turned to Ansei. "I'm trying to create a place for people like you! A place where they can go without fear of being hurt! There's so much land here! Maybe one day it will be bigger and we can house so many more people. One day we will have room for everyone."

Ansei smiled. "What will you call it?"

Boruto shrugged. "I thought about naming it Akuryo Village, but that seemed a little off putting. It's a work in progress."

Ansei's smile faded as he was flooded with memories. "It's beautiful," he said.

"Yeah. The world really can be a beautiful place."

The two stood in silence for a long moment. "Thank you, Boruto… I was the first kid you saved, but I see now that I won't be the last."

"Not by a long shot."

Ansei laughed softly. He turned to his teacher. "Where will we go after Konoha?" he asked.

"Well, that's the thing," Sasuke said. "I was thinking it's about time I actually settled back home." He placed a hand on Ansei's head. "I think we've traveled enough, don't you?"

Ansei blinked. "But… What will I do?" he asked.

Sasuke turned to Boruto and they both smiled. "Boruto here needs a medic to help him teach these kids a skill, not to mention how to fight."

Ansei blinked. "What do you say? Do you wanna make this your home?" Boruto asked.

Ansei looked around at the small village that would one day grow to house so many. He felt the potential in it. People would travel all over the world to come there… to feel safe. Tears began to well up in the Hyuuga's eyes. He had never felt more at home in his entire life.

He turned back to Boruto and nodded. Boruto's smile grew wider. "Welcome home…"

 _End_

 _Author's note: I finished a story! Aren't you proud of me?! Anyway, sorry it's kind of short and there were a lot of scene changes, and sorry I didn't make it to 30 chapters. That's a shame!_

 _I wanted to thank everyone who enjoyed this story! I had a blast writing it and I really hope I gave you a satisfying ending! I can't believe it's over! It feels like yesterday that I started it! I don't know what I'll do now. I've been toying with another Naruto story or going back to my roots and doing Sonic. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this story! Thank you for reading!_


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